The Price of Freedom
by Torenza
Summary: AU. Inuyasha has been a captive all his life - and he finally escapes, but at a price. Kagome happens to find him washed up on her beach, blind, and must do anything and evrything in her power to help him get his sight back. COMPLETE
1. Escape

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that belongs to Rumiko Takahashi - that includes all her characters... i.e. Inuyasha. I think Viz might own him too... but I would include them more in a disclaimer if they tried to act like they own him responsibly... Stupid Viz...

(A/N: so after my last fic I've been having a fairly hard time thinking up a new idea for a new story... and since I got over 200 reviews for the last one I have this imminent feeling that I'm going to disappoint loads of people who've been waiting for this. So if I have disappointed you - I'm really, REALLY sorry - but you have to understand that I'm under a lot of pressure right now. I just had an operation on my stomach, my pet hamster just died and now I have to replace him and then I have to go back to school next week - so it's a wonder I've been able to string two coherent sentences together, let alone one fic. Anyway - enough babbling - you probably want to read on now, so go ahead!!!)

**The Price of Freedom**

**Chapter One**

**Escape**

He was running - or more like flying since he was moving so fast he could barely feel his feet touch the ground. But he could feel his muscles begin to burn, and his chest begin to ache. How long had he been running...? Well... not very long, but pretty damn far. In fact he'd never actually gotten this far and this close to actual freedom.

Up ahead was nothing but dry earth and sparse grass, with the occasional barren tree that flitted past him now and then - but even further ahead than that was the ocean. With no breeze to create the waves, it was silent, just like the air around him, but he knew it was there. He could smell it. And in only a few minutes he would reach the coastline and be able to plunge into freedom and quit running.

Of course... then he'd have to swim, which is a bit like running, but you have to use your arms too... and that would tire him out further. But the few hours ahead that he must endure was a heck of a lot better than the lifetime behind him.

He couldn't stop now... not when he was so close... not when he wasn't being followed or pursued for once.

"Hang on..." he gasped, and staggered to a halt to rest his hands on his knees and catch his breath.

He was thinking like a prisoner... telling himself not to stop, because there were always critical people watching him. But he was alone now... he could do whatever the hell he wanted! And that meant he could stop for a breath of air if he felt like it! He was his own master now.

A snapping twig made him flinch and whip around, eyes wide in the dark and desperately scanning the area behind him. There was nothing to be seen. But he had been certain that he'd heard something... either that or his mind was playing tricks on him. It would be much more helpful if it was daylight... but he couldn't risk an escape in broad daylight... night time was much safer. But he couldn't wait for dawn to crack and break its light over the horizon. He'd never seen the sun. Well, at least not the real sun. He always wished he could see the land in its warmth.

After a few more minutes of catching the air in his lungs and massaging the stitch in his side, he set off again with a few quick glances around him. Then he was running, still barely recovered from the last lap, but he was determined to put as much distance between him and the bad things behind him.

His lungs were burning by the time he reached the coast, and he was drawing in such ragged breaths that it was all he could hear for a time. But here was the ocean, a black inky surface that spread as far as he could see. He knew that there was land beyond his sight, but the distance between this island and the mainland could only be crossed by boat... but he didn't need a boat.

He took one step onto the fairly recently-made wooden pier that stretched far out of the immediate cove and a little way beyond to much deeper water. It was so that the larger boats could still moor at the very edge. He took another step, and suddenly the vicinity around him was drenched in a blinding white light. He spun and shielded his eyes from the intense glare, but he could see them all around him, in jeeps and boats beside the pier, and two watchtowers to either side of the pier that were responsible for the intense light.

There was a sharp cracking sound somewhere from around him, but he couldn't tell where from exactly since all he saw were dark silhouettes, and barely even that.

"Make it easy on yourself Inu. Give up." Someone spoke, with help from a megaphone or something.

It was a little dramatic for one little Houdini, but necessary. Although… the approaching helicopters were not in the least helpful or reassuring, but there was no way that he was going to give in without a fight.

"You'll have to kill me to stop me!" he screamed and shot off down the pier. Behind him he heard boats revving their engines to catch up to him, and he reckoned they were catching up pretty quickly, cutting off any escape he might try off the sides of the pier. He'd end up sliced and diced by the boats' pedals and would be left for shark food. Not a pleasant thought.

So he fixed his gaze at the end of the pier that seemed to aim directly out to the ocean and towards the mainland. He'd make it... if he could just move faster.

He was less than a hundred metres away from the end when he saw a patrol boat suddenly shoot from its hidden location behind the rim of rocks that enclosed the cove. It killed its engine, blocking his escape rather effectively. But still he couldn't stop, and he was anxiously judging how far, he would have to jump to reach the roof of the cabin on deck, and then into the water without being shot.

He was almost upon it when there was a sharp snapping sound from behind him, and something small bit his shoulder. He knocked it away without hesitation, but he was suddenly finding it very difficult to keep his legs moving. There was no way he'd be able to make it now.

And it didn't help that a sudden shadow flitted up before him and put an end to his escape with one sharp kick to the chest that sent him reeling backwards. He recognised him at once. "Ookami!"

He was swaying now, very dangerously, and his vision blurring. He vaguely heard the sound of thundering feet on the wooden planks behind him before many sets of arms locked around his shoulders and upper arms, trying to force him to the ground. When he wouldn't fall, they kicked the backs of his knees until he dropped, before flattening him facedown on the planks. His vision was fading completely and he was being swamped by men now.

"You'll never get out with that transmitter behind your ear." The shadow said from above him.

He stiffened, suddenly realising what that shadow had just said before a heavy blow fell on his skull and he blacked out.

^_^ 

"Don't worry, Mom, we're both responsible teenagers." Kagome forcefully picked up her mother's suitcase and carried it out the door. "You need to go see Grandpa in the hospital - I understand that!"

"Are you two going to be ok?" her mother called anxiously as Sango started to usher her and Kagome's younger brother towards the car.

"Yep!" they both chorused.

"I hate to leave you at short notice - I mean - now I can't take you to see Mimi and her new husband." Mrs Higurashi was busily packing her suitcase into the trunk. "Are you sure you don't want to come back to the Shrine? Your grandpa would love to see you-"

"It's only his stomach." Kagome smiled, clenching her fists excitedly behind her back. "He poisons himself at least twice a month, he won't be happy if he knows we abandoned our holiday for his sake."

"Well... if you're sure..."

"We're sure." Sango and Kagome chorused again.

"Well..." Her mother hovered by the car door, halfway torn between leaving and staying, before finally slipping into the seat. "See you in a few weeks!"

"Ok!"

"You can use my credit card if you need food!"

"Ok!"

"Town's just down the main road and left at the first major set of traffic lights!"

"Ok!"

"No drinking!"

They hesitated a moment. "OK!"

"No driving! No wild parties! No drugs! No boys! No sitting around doing nothing!" she turned the key in the ignition and the engine coughed into life.

"Ok!" they smiled primly as she gazed at them suspiciously through the wound-down window.

"Clean up after yourselves, do some gardening, and-"

"Maybe we should go back with her..." Sango mumbled.

"You got the potato chips, right?" Kagome whispered, barely moving her lips as her mother continued to check off her list of things they should and shouldn't do.

"Got them. And I got the drinks too."

"What time?" Kagome glanced at her a moment.

"Seven... tonight..."

"- and remember! This house is on loan! You trash it and the owners are going to expect me to pay for damages." Her mother finished strictly before breaking into a warm smile. "Have fun without me! I'll call you when I get there! Bye!"

"Bye!" they echoed and waved patiently and watched as she disappeared down the driveway before turning off onto the road.

Sango and Kagome turned back to each other and grinned excitedly. "I can't believe it! The whole house to ourselves for nearly a week!" Sango squealed. "My dad would flip if he knew I was home alone!"

"Well you're not alone – you've got me!" Kagome dragged her around the side of the house and stood close to the roped out fence along the cliff edge. "And the sun! And the sea! And the fresh air! And-"

"Ok - now you're starting to sound like one of those holiday reps." Sango smiled. "But this is like every kids' dream! A holiday on the beach with no pesky parents getting under our feet."

"But we have to clean up after the party otherwise Mom is going to string me up by my guitar strings and leave me dangling for a day or so. Nothing too cruel, I don't think." Kagome turned to Sango. "Race you to the beach!"

"You got your bathing suit on underneath?" Sango raised an eyebrow at her eagerness.

"Yeah."

"Me too - let's go!"

They both laughed and half slid, half ran down the steep sloped path to the sandy beach below. It was all theirs. No one else around here knew it even existed.

^_^

And he was running yet again. But at least this time they weren't expecting him to try the same stunt twice, in such a short span of time. Last night he'd failed and been tranquillised all day. They probably didn't expect him to come around until the early morning... but here he was... eleven o'clock, and wide awake enough to run a marathon.

As he ran he clawed agitatedly at the small hollow just behind his upright, perked ear. He could feel something that felt like a metal button stuck to his skin - or half buried in the skin all together. He'd never noticed it before because it was so small... and even if he had he probably wouldn't have any idea what it was.

But then he'd been told. And now he knew why he'd never gotten to freedom. Because they tracked his every movement and could cut off his escape before he got too far.

Last night they'd been playing with him. They'd deliberately let him believe he was on his way to freedom before taking it away at the last moment. But now they would have no idea.

With a muffled gasp and a wince, his claws managed to dig under the transmitter and pull it free, ripping the skin slightly. He brought it before him to glance at it a moment, noticing that his fingers were now dappled with blood. Then he threw it as hard and as far as his burning arms could manage.

Then he changed direction and started pounding it back towards the pier he'd discovered last night. They would never know any better. As he ran, he felt the familiar pain etch through his muscles, but this time he just ignored it, while his right ear twitched now and then from the pain behind it.

Then he saw it.

The pier, flooded in light and swarming with men in dark green uniforms. They obviously knew his transmitter was lost... and they obviously planned to intercept him before he got to the coast. But that wasn't even going to slow him down - not when they had no idea where he was.

They were all milling around their vehicles and boats, armed with their tranquilliser rifles and wondering where the dog Hanyou had got to. They peered off into the surrounding darkness and occasionally swung the floodlights around to a likely spot where they thought they might have seen movement. One guard stood particularly close to the darkness around the little camp sight, looking off distantly with one hand on his rifle and his thoughts obviously on something else entirely.

It took him several moments to actually realise that the white blur that passed him and blew a few wisps of hair out of place was actually the Hanyou. He spun on his heel, and by then a lot of other men had realised what was happening.

"He's getting away!" someone yelled as the lights swung instantly onto the pier where the dog-boy was all but leaving fire trails at the speed he was moving.

"Shoot him!" a superior yelled.

Darts flew from all directions - yet amazingly, the ones that were aimed correctly were skilfully evaded. Although for a moment when a few more tranquilliser darts shot his way, he scrambled forward onto his hands as they flew harmlessly overhead - but then he was up and hauling it across the boards again.

This time they were actually worried. They hadn't expected him to be so damn fast.

"Kill him!"

A harsh order - but a necessary one. Rifles snapped as they changed their ammunition and there was a moments silence before open fire ripped through the air towards the Hanyou. But in those precious few moments, the boy had thrown himself off the end of the pier and was fast swimming away.

"You won't get away, Inu!" the same superior grabbed one of the more dangerous weapons and told the driver of his jeep to burn rubber up the pier. They braked sharply at the end and the superior aimed the weapon. "No one escapes from the island alive, freak!"

Inuyasha heard the loud yell close behind him and paused for a moment to look back at the end of the pier. Something clonked him on the head and he hissed in pain, rubbing the bruised spot before realising what it was exactly that had clocked him.

A grenade. And one that seemed to be missing a pin...

He glanced back up at the pier to see the colonel still holding the launcher he'd just fired before realising he should get away. Before he could even throw his hands up to shield his face, the grenade went off, right in front of him.

He probably would have screamed in pain as the blinding flash consumed him by water rushed to close over his head and his voice was lost in an instant. He was pushed down with incredible force into the murky depths…

For a few brief moments he passed out, but only for a few seconds, though it was enough to disconcert him as he came back around. He was so deep underwater that everything was black; he didn't know which way was up or which was down. If he surfaced, he'd be killed... if he stayed down here, he'd suffocate. His injuries were burning in the salty water and he knew he had to surface... so he just let himself float gradually upwards.

He eventually broke it and greedily gasped for the air to fill his winded lungs... and he supposed that he should be grateful that now he was no longer within range of the pier. He could hear the shouts of the military men in the distance... but they were too far away to see him now. It was pitch black, just like underwater... and he had no idea which way he was heading.

He floated for a few more minutes before the sounds in the distance faded and all that filled his senses was the chilling cold. It was still dark... but that made no difference as he finally gave into the cold and slipped unconscious.

^_^

The sounds of the party finishing up could be heard at the house above the beach. Kagome had gotten pretty tired very quickly and had come down to the beach to get away from it. She'd enjoyed herself, but she had to admit that she wasn't exactly a major party animal. Sango on the other hand had enjoyed herself immensely... and seemed to be getting pretty friendly with Miroku.

It wasn't that Kagome was stuck being a cold fish - it was just that the only nice boy there had been Hojo... and as you can imagine, he wasn't the most interesting guy on the planet. So now she just sat on a rock above the shallow water of the tide and imagined the work it was going to take cleaning that house. She was getting drowsy from the humid heat but she was vaguely aware of the last group staggering from the house to trot on their merry way home. Then she heard Sango call.

"Where were you? I would have thought you'd be in the thick of things." Sango tottered up behind her, a little distance away since she didn't want to get her trainers wet.

"Just got tired."

"You need a boyfriend."

"Like Miroku?" Kagome retorted, giving her friend a raised brow. Sango blushed and twiddled her fingers.

"You're not having Miroku." She warned.

"I'll try to remember that."

"You seemed to like Hojo well enough-"

"It's called polite small-talk... why do you think I ran off to hide from him?" Kagome yawned tiredly and slipped off the rock. "We should probably tidy up now."

"Too tired." Sango caught the infectious yawn and stifled it with her hand.

"Yeah... should probably do it in the morning." Kagome was about to turn around to head back up the slope when she saw something that made her insides freeze and snap her wide awake at the same time. "Oh my god..."

Sango frowned with confusion and followed her gaze out to the water. "It looks like... a plastic bag..."

Kagome was still frozen in place. "A plastic bag with arms and legs?!" she screeched.

Sango looked more carefully and let out a short scream. "Oh my god! Shit! That's a body!!"

"Oh no! Oh my god!" Kagome was hopping from foot to foot. "What do we do? What do we do?!"

"Don't look at me!!" Sango screamed shrilly.

"Wait!" Kagome stiffened. "She might still be alive!"

Assuming it was a 'she' due to the long hair.

"Um... then go check..." Sango nudged her towards the waves.

"WHAT?! You go check!" she nudged Sango back.

"No way! You saw it first!"

"It's not an 'it' until it's dead!" Kagome hissed. "And anyway... dead bodies don't float up onto beaches unless it's a horror movie..."

"Kagome!" Sango ground out. "Look around you! We're alone. We're outside the city. There's no one around for miles and those clothes look bloody!"

Kagome took a nervous glance at the bedraggled heap that was washing closer and gulped. The person seemed to be wearing white clothes... with red stains. She firmed up her bottom lip and started to wade out quickly.

Perhaps she was shot...?" Sango offered.

"You're not helping." Kagome snapped as she paddled a little faster, getting past the point where the water reached her waist. She'd be ruining these clothes, but right then she didn't really care.

As she drew close she realised that the person was in fact a 'he'. And almost definitely a he... she'd never seen a boy as well built as this one. But she kinda overlooked that fact since half his face looked like he'd skidded to a stop on a tarmac road using his cheek. Half his shirt was missing, and what was revealed beneath was not a pretty sight. The long white hair was confusing... she didn't think any boy had the patience to grow it so long, but it was mottled black due to soot... or smoke, or something grimy like that - quite like a lot of his exposed skin and clothes.

"Oh shit... are you ok?" she whispered as she reached him, grappling with his one very cold arm. She was hesitant to touch anything else in fear of touching the wounds. "What the hell happened to you...?"

She glanced up to his face again... then a little higher - her eyes widened in shock as she spotted two white triangles of fur poking through the wet mop of hair. For a moment, she wondered why he was in a Halloween getup... before quickly realising he was missing normal ears. He wasn't human.

Sango waited anxiously on the beach, hugging herself tightly as she waited for Kagome to check his pulse. As the girl did so, she drew away sharply and staggered back in the water several feet. She turned back to Sango with a face so pale that she looked like a ghost. "He's dead!"

A/N: Cliff-hanger!!! I love these - it always makes you want to read more... but then again if you don't like the story then you wouldn't want to. Let me know how it's going so far!!!! ^_^


	2. One Call for Help

(A/N: you're all telling me off for killing Inuyasha! Chill ok! Anyway, so here's the second chapter - proof that the fic is still moving along. Unfortunately I might not have the time to write so fast as I have done previously because I have to keep up with my work (and due to a lot of problems last year in school - I have to work especially hard to catch up to the other students this year). So I'm sorry if I can't be as fast as before but I will try and do this as often as I can. Plus - I'm going to Scarborough soon, so there might be a big gap in my updating (and schoolwork) pretty soon. But I'll live! I'm stressed, but I'll live! Ok - enough crap about my problems - on with Inuyasha's!)

The Price of Freedom

One call for Help

Fortunately, Kagome wasn't going to be signing up for medical school anytime soon, since her knowledge of human anatomy was a little off. Because, for a start she was checking for a pulse just under his chin.

"He's not dead - he's still breathing." Sango took her hand away from his nose and winced down at him. "God... he's going to wish he was though..."

"We have to get help." Kagome whispered quickly.

"Yeah, but I think we need to get him indoors and warm him up first." Sango stood, but seemed uncertain where to best place her hands so she wouldn't hurt him. "Um... how...?"

"Uh..." Kagome looked around helplessly a moment before finally snapping her fingers. "I know! Grab a sheet from the house and we can use it as a stretcher or something."

Sango went racing back up the steep incline while Kagome dropped on her knees to brush back the boy's bangs. One side of his face was virtually unharmed, but the other side and most his body looked like he'd been scraped of his skin. "Please hold on..." she whispered. There was no way she was going to allow him to die on her time.

Suddenly, one of his bloody clawed hands shot out and gripped her shoulder so hard that his claws bit into her skin. She yelped in pain, and struggled to throw the hand off - but he wasn't awake... cause he still hadn't opened his eyes.

She was stilled by his urgent whisper though. "Don't tell them where I am..."

And with that, his grip slipped from her shoulder and his head lolled to the side in an even deeper state of unconsciousness. She stared at him, blinking rapidly for a few moments. "Who are you talking about?"

But he didn't answer anymore. And she was suddenly scared that he was even closer to death than before.

"Kagome!"

Sango arrived with the sheet and quickly laid it out on the sand. "Quick - get him on it."

Kagome took his lower end while Sango took the other, and both lifted on the count of three. "Ah! God he's so bloody heavy!" Kagome gasped, struggling to keep a grip, a particularly hard task since her shoulder burned with fresh pain.

They managed to at least slide him across the soft sand onto the thin sheet, before proceeding to drag his limp body across the sand towards the slope. Then came the tricky bit.

Since Sango was a great deal stronger than Kagome, she took up the lead alone and pulled on the sheet with all her strength. Kagome held the sheet up from behind so he wouldn't slip off and roll down to the beach again. And they were sure that if the sea hadn't killed him, then a concussion surely would.

Somehow, with an amazing feat of strength they dragged his sorry body into the house and cleared an area of the living room floor (that was covered with crisp packets, drink cans and cheesy whatsits) to lay him down properly.

"I better call the ambulance..." Sango whispered hurriedly, and stood to run into the kitchen. Kagome caught her hand before she got too far and bit her lip.

"You can't." she said suddenly.

Sango just stared at her expectantly.

"He... woke a few minutes ago... he doesn't want them to find him." Kagome glanced down at him again.

"Who? The paramedics?"

"No - I don't know who he was talking about." Kagome narrowed her eyes. "But... I don't think..."

"You don't think what, Kagome?"

"That we should tell the police." She finished.

"No - just the hospital!" Sango argued.

"We can't do that, because doctors have to report all gun shot wounds to the police!" she'd heard that in a police documentary at some point in her short life.

"Gunshot? Where?" Sango frowned.

Kagome pointed to a neat little hole in his calf that was dribbling a little blood. Sango froze. "Oh GOD! He's been shot!"

"We can't tell anybody - he said so himself!"

"You must have imagined it!" Sango protested.

"Sango - please!" Kagome stood to look directly into her eyes. "What if he was shot by bad people who will find him if we report him to the police?!"

"And what if he's an escaped convict, hm? And he's running from the authorities? What's going to stop him from murdering you too?"

"That's far-fetched." Kagome accused.

"Well, so is your idea!" her friend folded her arms. "We have to tell someone! He might die!"

"But if we tell the police he'll be caught by those bad people!"

"They might be good people!"

"Good people don't shoot other people in the leg!" Kagome snapped.

"They might if other people came at them with knives or something!" Sango looked down at him. "For god's sakes, Kagome, he has knives on every finger! What's wrong with him?"

"Sango... maybe bad people did this to him because of what he looks like... I don't know..." Kagome looked down at him as well, frowning a little with worry. The poor guy looked so bedraggled, bloody... lifeless and... and something else. "He's so... helpless, Sango... we can't turn him over to the cops."

"They might protect him though." Sango hissed.

"You think so? I didn't know police were so accepting of strange-looking people like this."

Sango slumped in defeat. "But he's going to die..."

Kagome thought for a moment before coming to a decision. "Call Miroku... he's at medical college _and _he's got that First Aid course under his belt. He can help."

Sango nodded reluctantly. "I'll go find him... you make sure this guy doesn't drop dead, ok?"

Kagome turned back to the dog-eared boy on the floor as Sango hurried out of the house and down the road at a fast jog. She was a little at a loss for what to do now with the beat up guy.

She was intrigued by his hair colour... she'd never seen anything such a pure shade as this... and it appeared all natural, because his roots didn't seem to be any darker than the rest of his hair. His clothes were also white - but the grubby kind of white of un-dyed cotton. It was the simplest shirt ever made, and the pants were tied at the side with a strip of the same material – they only reached halfway down in calves. They looked slightly loose, like they hadn't been fitted for him. He was shoeless, sockless, and didn't have any other accessories... other than that glinting thing on his wrist.

Kagome peered closer to his wrists and realised it was a simple chain with a tag. But there looked like there was no way to unclasp it, as it was fixed firmly together.

Thinking skittishly, Kagome ran to grab a towel and filled a bowl with warm water before fetching it back to the stranger. She muttered a small chant as she proceeded to clean away most of the blood from his unaffected skin. "Please don't die... please don't die..."

He was still drawing in ragged breaths that seemed to shake his entire frame... and every few minutes she expected it to just stop. But it was like he was in a stable coma. He just wasn't waking up or moving.

About half an hour later, Sango arrived back with Miroku behind her.

"What's going on?" he frowned as he entered the lounge. Then he spotted the stranger's ears and hair. "What the hell is that...?"

"Miroku! Don't just stand there - do something." Sango hissed impatiently.

It was a good thing that the person Kagome's mother had loaned the house from was a big first aid nut, otherwise Miroku would have come up a bit short of equipment. He retrieved a disinfectant spray (the blue coloured type) and lots of rolls of bandages from a box under the sink.

Kagome helped him set about cleaning the wounds one by one, wrapping up the damaged areas and limbs with bandages until he looked like a cross between a mummy and a... boy...? Not very inspiring thoughts, but Kagome was at least glad that she couldn't see as much blood now.

"Dregs from the party?" Miroku asked when he'd finished.

"We found him on the beach." Kagome pointed to his leg. "And... I think he's been shot."

Miroku checked out the damage and sighed. "You got a pair of tweezers anywhere?"

^-^

It was a good thing that the boy was unconscious otherwise he would have probably been screaming like a girl. But now Kagome was left with the tough task of looking after him... alone. All she had was basic instructions from Miroku to deal with any sort of fever that might arise, and to feed him aspirin every four hours - even at night. And all she had from Sango was a wish of good luck, as the poor girl had been dragged out of the house by her rather overprotective father.

Fortunately, he hadn't seen the messed up kid lying on the lounge floor, but he had seen the state of the house. Sango's father had offered to take Kagome back to the city too, but Kagome claimed that she needed to clean up for the owner of the house.

So here she was. Sitting on the sofa at four o'clock in the morning. Well past the point of being so sleepy that she just didn't feel the need to sleep anymore. But she still stared morosely at the TV set that flashed images in the dark room, remaining on mute.

There was a sharp groan from below her that jerked Kagome from her zombie state. She knelt on the floor beside the stranger in a matter of moments. Checking her watch, she cursed. It was time for that aspirin again.

She already had the bottle by her side from the last dose she'd given him and yawned absently as she poured a little water onto a table spoon and dissolved two tablets into it. She gently cradled the boy's head in her lap as she held the spoon to his lips. He turned away from it, but she just followed his movements, the spoon still against his bottom lip. He swung his head a little more suddenly back towards her, spilling some of the contents of the spoon, making her sigh.

"Come on... take it..." she muttered as she brought the spoon to his lips again. He tried to turn his head further away from the bitter tasting liquid, and inadvertently nuzzled against her hip. Kagome blushed deeply and edged away a little before jamming the spoon into his mouth before he could turn away.

He spluttered a little, but allowed most of the aspirin down, before falling into an even deeper asleep.

Kagome cautiously touched his forehead with the back of her fingers and bit her lip. He felt as hot as an iron… not a good thing. She drew her hand back quickly and reached for her damp wash cloth to wipe across his heated skin.

He murmured something as she put the cloth down. She paused. "What?"

He murmured it again, and she leant down with her ear close to his lips to catch what he was saying. "Three... two, nine... I..."

He slumped a little more and she frowned at him. What was that supposed to mean? "Who are you...?" a question she was going to have to dwell on until he woke up entirely.

(A/N: ok... happy now? He isn't dead!! It's too early in the story for that! ^_^!!) 

Disclaimer: same as chapter one - including all that stuff about Viz.


	3. The Retriever but not the Golden kind

(A/N: Wow! I'm finally back after a long weekend in Scarborough - where it rained and we stayed in this tiny little flat and an argument broke out every few minutes about people being lazy and yadda... yadda... blah, blah. Anyway - I'm finally back and I've been able to finish off the third chapter that I started last Friday. Hopefully I'll be updating a lot more regularly from now on - but don't quote me on that! I still have a lot of schoolwork on my plate and I'm doing a lot of juggling trying to balance out my activities. And then I have to socialise as well! And that takes hours to complete ^_^;;;; Anyway, I hope you enjoy this slightly longer chapter - and be warned! Whatever you may be led to believe in this chapter - this is a very definite Inu/Kag pairing. It's just that Kagome's a little easy to impress, ok?)

The Price of Freedom (do I come up with corny titles or what?)

The Retriever

"Inu is dead."

Naraku turned slowly in his revolving chair - possibly the comfiest chair on the entire base. No one else was permitted to sit in it except him. "Where's his body then?"

"Well..." the colonel shifted uncomfortably. "We're still searching... but we're pretty sure he's fish food now. I mean, that blast was pretty big. It took out the end of the pier from twenty metres away - and he was right next to the blast - he couldn't have survived."

Naraku shook his head. "Colonel... he's a hanyou... he can take punishment much more readily than you." He gave the man a pointed glare as if to hint something. "He would not have been destroyed by that petty blast."

"Then he must have surely drowned." The colonel offered.

Naraku just glared at him.

Perhaps that was a stupid theory too.

There was a knock at the door that interrupted the tense silence. "Come in." Naraku said, almost lazily. He glanced past the colonel to see who had entered, and almost at once his chair snapped from a reclining position to a straight one. "What is a woman doing on this base?!" he snapped with a hiss.

The colonel glanced behind him to see the young woman coming up on his left. She was very young, but very pretty, and didn't seem all that offended by Naraku's comment. "This is Major Kuonji..." he introduced his second in command.

"Kikyo Kuonji." She offered a polite bow to Naraku, who just ignored her and turned back to the colonel.

"Find Inu and bring him back, dead or alive. I don't care. Find his body in the ocean - just as long as you bring me back some proof of his death." He said coolly.

That's where Kikyo stepped in. "Mr Naraku... I'm sure you're well aware of the hanyou's capabilities."

He glared at her icily.

"And I'm sure you're well aware that he will not have been destroyed by that grenade or the waters." She placed a map that she'd been holding on the desk between them, and took out a pen from her shirt pocket. "I believe that Inu would have at least made it to land by now. But with wounds like the ones he sustained, he won't have gone far."

She drew an oval shape around an area of coast that was adjacent to their little island. "I doubt he would even bother moving onwards with a gunshot wound in the leg."

"What makes you so sure he was shot?" Naraku raised an eyebrow in question.

She smiled slightly in return. "I never miss, sir."

"If I may, sir, I believe she has an effective plan to capture the prisoner." The colonel put forward.

"Indeed?"

"I suggest we send one of the more reliable canines in pursuit." She lifted her chin. "Ookami has proven himself to be rather loyal... in truth... more loyal than the dog."

There was a moment's silence before Naraku clasped his hands before him. "Send him in then."

^_^

Kagome dozed lightly on the sofa with the TV on in the background, lulling her into a false sense of security. It was midday, and she was exhausted. Not only had she been nursing the strange boy that had washed up on the beach last night, but she had also managed to clean up a lot of the surrounding mess. Stepping through so many crunchy Cheesy Whatsits had been too disgusting to live with.

A soft noise stirred her from her light sleep, and she lifted her head sleepily, hald wondering what it could be. She ran a hand through her hair to get it back in position, and wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth.

Suddenly, the boy on the floor sat bolt upright with a gasp, and Kagome screamed in response. She hastily scrambled to press her back against the sofa automatically.

"Did you choose the other one?!" he demanded sharply, but his gazewas unfocused and distant.

"What?" she got over her shock, and inched up a little closer.

"Did you choose the other one?!" he repeated it.

"Uh..."

He started to get annoyed with her slow response. "Did-you-choose-the-other- one?!" he growled out, like he was talking to a retarded child. His head was turned in her direction, but his eyes weren't focused on her.

"No... I chose this one." She said finally, at a loss.

"Good." He grunted, collapsing back onto the pillow she'd given him and fell asleep once more.

It took a moment to calm her thundering heart, and get up the nerve to approach him. He'd scared the wits out of her... though he was probably still too lost in his dreams to know he'd just been awake. He was sleep talking…

"Hey..." she said softly, and he turned his head towards the sound of her voice.

"Is the party starting yet?" he mumbled out.

"No... you missed the party." She whispered softly, brushing his fringe out of the way.

Was it her, or did his face look less bruised and grazed today? She was sure the damage had covered his right eye last night... but now it only seemed to be his cheek that was scabbing over.

"I never saw... the..."

"Girls?"

"Mm..."

It was clear that the only thing in this guy's head was partying and girls. 

"No... never saw the sun..." he whispered, before drifting off entirely.

Kagome frowned. Now what had that meant? He wasn't making any sense at all.

Well, at least his fever had gone down pretty quickly. Seeing as he was now soundly asleep, she might as well get some prime use out of that credit card her mother had left for her.

Kagome made sure that the boy was properly tucked in, and had taken his medicine before concentrating on finding her bag. She wanted to head off into town to do some emergency shopping… if only she remembered the way. 

^_^

She was dead on her feet. But she had all she wanted now, and she could at least go home. She made her way towards the check-out counters at the opposite end of the store, but on her way she passed the men's section. She slowed down…

Her gaze dawdled a little longer than necessary on the underwear section before she finally managed to tear her gaze away to the opposite side of the aisle. That was when she noticed she was also passing an elderly gentleman with snow-white hair, and a walking stick. The hair instantly reminded her of the boy back home, and she realised that he might actually need new clothes, too... after all, his clothes were in tatters, and barely covered the important parts as it was.  It wasn't like she had a handy father to steal clothes from either.

With a sigh she headed into the men's section, and began browsing for clothes, mostly to her own taste. She didn't really care if they were to his liking or not. She picked out a couple of plain, navy cotton shirts, and one or two pairs of jeans. She chose a couple of various dark coloured nylon cargos as well. At this point she wasn't sure what type of underwear to get him. For a moment she lingered on the thought of getting him briefs, before deciding that would just be cruel, and tossed a couple of boxers into her cart. Maybe one or two pairs had little hearts on them... but they were just too cute to resist.

When she was done deciding what the stranger at home would wear if he ever woke up, Kagome headed through the aisles of cosmetics towards the checkpoints at the front of the store. She was almost there when she spotted someone coming her way -  a very good looking someone, with black hair, green eyes… though it was hard to tell from such a distance. 

Something about him reminded her instantly of the white haired guy back at the house, but she wasn't quite sure what it was... the long hair, perhaps, that was tied up high on his head. His roaming gaze flicked to her, and after a moment a slight smile tilted his face.

It was instantaneous, the fuzzy feeling in her stomach (she was only human after all), and she smiled back hesitantly. Then she noticed he was slowing... almost as if he wanted to... stop... beside her. Something about him nagged her about the stranger back at the beach house, and his wish to be left alone. One quick glance in her shopping cart told the world it was obvious she had just been shopping for a guy, so without thinking, she knocked it against the shelf beside her.

The contents of that shelf slipped into the cart, covering her manly accessories. This was all done without having to look, and the guy didn't seem to notice the sudden movement, either.

"Don't I know you from somewhere?" he asked casually.

"Uh... I don't think so..."

"Or I know your sister or something."

"I don't think so - I'm only on holiday, I don't live here." She wanted to strangle herself - she was doing the sweet girl routine... twiddling her fingers... cocking her head...

For a brief moment, his eyes trailed down to her basket, but quickly jerked up again. "I'm new, too. Where you from?"

"Tokyo."

"What district?"

She was really trying hard to hold onto her thoughts as she stared at his perfect face. "Uh... Nerima..."

"Never been there." He smiled warmly and shoved his hands into his pockets. "I wonder if you can help me. I'm looking for a friend of mine."

"Oh...?" that sounded ominous... and very coincidental.

"He's roughly my height... my age... has weird white hair and strange eyes. Might be limping." His smile slipped to a little serious quirk. "You seen him around?"

Something about his whole attitude was off, and Kagome quickly found herself less thrilled about the cute guy talking to her. "No... what's his name?"

There was a long pause. "He goes by lots - he's a prankster. He'll be Akira one day, and then Mikate the next."

"It rings a bell." She lied placidly, hoping that she wasn't too obvious. "But maybe you should tell me your name in case I see him?"

He cocked his head. "And my number, too?"

"Please?" she breathed.

"I don't have a number. Well... not the right sort you want… but my name's Kouga. I'll be hanging around if you ever see him." He grinned.

"I'm Kagome." She turned as he started to walk away. "See ya!"

"Bye, Kagome." He waved shortly before turning completely and walking off into the men's section.

As soon as he was gone, she shook her head to clear her thoughts, but she was cooled off slightly by the idea that he might not be what he seemed. After all... his intentions of finding the boy in her living room didn't seem all that clear or friendly. After all... he knew that the guy was injured... not a good sign.

She looked down absently at her cart and her breath froze in her lungs. "No...!"

Somehow, she'd stopped by the only shelf in the toiletries section that was filled up with extra large condoms - all of which were now happily covering all the male clothes and practically yelling 'I HAVE MALE COMPANY'. 

Way to go, Kagome! She thought to herself as she tried to stuff the boxes back onto the shelf - but of course, she'd broken it and only half the merchandise would fit.

Besides, lots of old ladies were now giving her very queer looks, and most were tutting and shaking their heads. All she wanted to do was get away very quickly, and leave the scene of the crime. Perhaps she could dump them all behind the baby diaper stacks - and remind all those mothers of what could have been.

She headed down the aisle, and glanced behind her to check that no one was still staring at her. To her dismay, the new guy named Kouga was starting towards the cash register, blocking off her escape.

Kagome was cornered. She couldn't dump the... stuff... now without drawing too much attention, and even if she did, there was a chance Kouga would see what she had underneath the... stuff... After seeing all this... stuff, with the clothes, he would definitely know she wasn't staying with her brother. Maybe he'd think she had a boyfriend...

But Kagome still had her pride, and she wasn't going to go embarrass herself by dumping condoms behind the stacks of Cornflakes boxes or something. She would just buy them and go – then perhaps bury them in the sand later on – anything to keep Kouga from seeing them. 

Kagome found an empty check-out and dumped her shopping on the moving conveyor- belt. She kept her hot face down and tried to hide from the approaching Kouga. He didn't seem to have seen her just yet, so she was safe for now... but for how long?

She paid the amount with the credit card and challenged the cashier's stare with a glare of her own, before grabbing her shopping bag and all but running from the store. As soon as she was outside, she made a mental note to never ever get so swooned by a guy's good looks ever again. Kagome looked down to check if the packets were showing in the bag, then decided that she could make the journey home without losing too much face.

Thank God she'd be going home in a few weeks. No one would ever be able to find the 'Crazy Condom Kagome' again.

She started up the drive and found her keys in her right pocket, after having to strategically go through the entire contents of each pocket, which was filled with sweet wrappers, loose change, broken pens, and a smiley face sticker.

Kagome opened the door and found her way into the kitchen to dump her cargo on the wooden table. Glancing at her watch, she knew it was time to go feed aspirin to her guest again, and possibly change his bandages if it was needed. She sighed and muttered to herself about stupid seaside districts as she made her way to the medical drawer. She fished out another bottle of aspirin and the fresh roll of bandages she needed to apply to the strange boy.

Leaving the shopping bags on the table, she headed for the connecting doorway to the living room. But before she could step off the linoleum and onto the carpet, something hard and firm clapped over her mouth. Kagome was dragged back rather roughly against a body much bigger and tougher than her own.

The aspirin and bandages dropped from her shaking hands at once, as she emitted one muffled, yet very frightened squeak.

"Tell me who the hell you are, and I won't kill you straight away." A harsh voice whispered into her ear, making her involuntarily shiver. One glance through the doorway told her that her sick stranger was no longer on the floor.

She found herself wondering if she'd chosen the right side to defend or not.

(A/N: God I'm so nasty! Leaving you on a cliff-hanger like this... oh well, at least I'll update sooner than before. ^_^) 

I just tried posting this chapter a little while ago but there seems to have been a problem - so this is my second attempt. hopefully it should work and I'll delete the faulty chapter. Thanks to Zel no Miko for pointing this out to me ^-^*


	4. On Hind Sight

*I just tried posting this chapter a little while ago but there seems to have been a problem - so this is my second attempt. hopefully it should work and I'll delete the faulty chapter. Thanks to Zel no Miko for pointing this out to me ^-^*  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: don't own anything other than my human rights bill that I am firmly clinging to. But that also means I don't own Inuyasha...  
  
(A/N: Yep, I'm back! And with another chapter up and ready! This is where the story starts to get rolling - because *drum roll please* he's awake! Alive AND awake! And I don't intend to kill him off - don't worry, I'm not that mean... but mainly because I fear my life if I do do something too drastic ^_^)  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price of Freedom  
  
On Hind Sight  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome was given a firm shake when she remained silent instead of answering.  
  
"Who are you?!" he hissed.  
  
"Mmphmomif..." she tried to force out past his hand.  
  
After a moment he loosened his grip and allowed her to breathe properly. "Tell me!"  
  
"I-I'm Kagome... Kagome Higurashi... I saved you from the beach... do you remember?" her breathing was mostly choppy from the sudden fright she'd just received  
  
"No." he said simply, still refusing the let go off her and face him.  
  
"Well... I did..." she glanced around quickly, seeking an escape or something to get her out of this situation.  
  
"What's wrong with your voice?" He asked suddenly.  
  
"Nothing..." she said weakly but with indignance. "I had a cold recently... but that-"  
  
"Just shut up and tell me where the others are." She could feel him shifting nervously. How could he even stand with wounds as hideous as his though?  
  
"Others?" she gently tried to pry his hand away to no avail.  
  
"You've only captured me to wait for the others." He said firmly.  
  
"N-No... I told you... I found you on the beach, badly injured and I've been taking care of you."  
  
"If that's the truth then why don't you turn on the lights and show me your face." He snapped.  
  
Now that confused Kagome. It was the middle of the day and light was flooding in from every window in the house. Turning on the lights wouldn't have had much affect on the current level of light... so what was he on about.  
  
"They are on." she pointed out.  
  
"I'm not blind, of course they're off! Where are we?!" he clenched her throat tighter and she whimpered slightly.  
  
"W-we're in a house beside the sea - can't you tell?"  
  
There was a long silence before his grip slackened. "I can smell it."  
  
"And you can see it too, out that window." She tried to point with her chin.  
  
He released her instantly and she tottered a few steps away, reluctant to whirl on him or do any sudden movements. "What did you do to me?"  
  
Kagome cautiously peeked over her shoulder at him, her eyes widening in disbelief. Not only was he able to stand, but his face was now completely unmarred by any wounds. There were still scabs on his shoulder and stomach, and his right leg still seemed a bit pained... but he looked fine. Apart from the fact that he didn't seem to be focusing on anything, even her.  
  
"Are... you ok?" she hesitantly reached out to touched his shoulder gently. But it seemed that the contact was unexpected and unwanted, and he flinched massively and scooted back a bit, his eyes searching the space before him where she should have been.  
  
"Why can't I see you?" he demanded, slightly nervously.  
  
Kagome stared at him, slow horror seeping into her at his plight. "Oh my god... you're blind?"  
  
"You did this to me!!" he snarled and lunged at her.  
  
Kagome squeaked and dived out of the way so he collided with the fridge. "What are you attacking me for?!"  
  
"You did this!" he repeated and swung one of those dangerously clawed fists at her. She ducked quickly and decided to remain put there since it was obvious he wouldn't find her.  
  
He swung around, his ears straining to pick up the sound of her running feet or her hurried breathing... but unfortunately she'd been a smart one and had just shut up. "Where are you?! Stop playing with me!"  
  
"I'm not!" she protested.  
  
"That's a mistake!" he dived at her and she rolled away, scrambling under the table. "Stop hiding then!"  
  
"Only if you stop attacking me!" she squeaked.  
  
He spun, trying to locate the sound of her voice. "You're working for them! You're going to send me back there!"  
  
"Who's 'them'?!" she cried.  
  
"Don't pretend you don't-"  
  
"I don't! I seriously don't! I swear I just found you injured and I wanted to help you!"  
  
"As if!" he snarled, struggling to find her hiding place.  
  
"It's true! Why don't you believe me?!" she winced suddenly at her wonderful vantage-point of his blood seeping calf - it seemed to have been reopened by his movements.  
  
"What are you?" he snapped suddenly, though he sounded confused, if not a little panicked. "What's wrong with your voice and why are you so small?"  
  
"There's nothing wrong with *me*!" she snapped angrily. A bit of a mistake because at last he located her and his hands fastened around her ankles. "No! Don't!" she screamed.  
  
But he did. And he lifted her clean into the air by one ankle and let her dangle. Kagome gasped and her arms flailed for something more substantial to hold onto. His strength was unbelievable. Even her father hadn't been able to lift her when she was a kid.  
  
"Let me go you bully!" she squealed. His ears flinched back at her high pitched cry but he refused to release her.  
  
"Tell me who you are and I'll let you go!" he ordered angrily.  
  
"I told you! I'm Kagome Higurashi!"  
  
"Rank? Security number?"  
  
"What are you talking about?" she gasped, the blood all pooling in her head and making it difficult to think. "I'm not in the military!"  
  
"Are you a eunuch?"  
  
"NO!" she shouted loudly. "Put me down this instant - you crazy wild man!"  
  
So, since she didn't appear to be co-operative enough, he took it upon himself to determine what she was. His free hand trailed down the leg he was holding up by the ankle in an effort to find his way to her body. She spluttered with outrage as his hand passed very briefly over her pelvis to her stomach and down further. Then his hand came into contact with something much softer than he'd anticipated and he paused for a moment to try and determine what they were.  
  
"You pervert!" she screeched and kneed him hard in the stomach. He let go of her instantly, though his injured leg could no longer hold him up and he crashed to the floor on his behind while Kagome landed flat on her back, winded.  
  
It took her a moment to drag in the oxygen again, and even then her lungs felt badly abused. Who did this guy think he was?  
  
"You're a bitch." He said blankly.  
  
"Well you *were* touching me...!" she wheezed.  
  
"No... I mean you're a... girl or something..." he was staring off into space roughly in her direction.  
  
"Like you've never met a woman before."  
  
"No... I haven't..."  
  
An answer that she hadn't quite been expecting. She stilled her movements and stared at him. "Who are you?"  
  
"None of your business." He said shortly, folding his arms despite himself.  
  
"Hey, I told you who I was - you do the same." She said heatedly.  
  
He stared a few moments more before lowering his eyelids a little. "Just call me Inu."  
  
"I can't do that. There's a dog up the road called that imaginative name... make up another." She didn't appreciate that she was being snubbed for all her trouble.  
  
"That's my given name..." he sighed and turned his head away slightly, looking peeved. "My real name is Inuyasha."  
  
"Interesting choice..." she nodded slowly. "Cruel parents?"  
  
"At least half a dozen of them."  
  
It took Kagome a little while to mull over what that meant, but before she could conclude, he'd risen to his feet and was feeling his way along the wall. "Where are you going?"  
  
"I'm hungry. My stomach's starting to hurt." He complained.  
  
"Not surprising. You've been asleep for quite some time." She told him, rising quickly to assist him. "Here, let me help-"  
  
"I don't need help!" he snapped, shrugging her off rather quickly and cringing away from her touch. "Just let me be!"  
  
"You're hurt!" she protested.  
  
"So?"  
  
"You'll get hurt even more if you don't let me help you." She pointed out.  
  
"I don't want help and I don't want..." he trailed off... his attention diverted by something else.  
  
"Don't want what?" Kagome pressed gently.  
  
"Someone's coming." He said tightly. He inhaled deeply before a slight snarl curled on his lips. "Ookami..."  
  
"What...?" Kagome frowned at him a moment before she heard the doorbell go.  
  
"Don't answer that!" he hissed.  
  
Kagome was torn between what to do before she heard a voice call out through the letterbox. "Kagome? It's Kouga, you left your wallet in the supermarket - I've brought it back for you!"  
  
"Oh that's just Kouga." She said simply.  
  
"I *know* who it is!" he hissed quietly. "Get him out of here - he's one of 'them'!"  
  
Kagome shook her head slightly before taking his wrist despite his attempts to pull away and guided him towards the bedroom. "Stay in here and don't get blood on the nice white carpet."  
  
How on earth he would be able to tell if he got blood on the carpet was beyond her, but she had other concerns right then. The locked the door on him automatically and quickly went to answer the door. "Oh, hi Kouga!"  
  
"Your wallet." He handed it to her and briefly glanced past her into the house. "Company?"  
  
A faint blush crept up on her at the thought of the whole shopping basket incident. "Um... actually no..."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Just stocking up... for my friend... no one here." She wrung her hands nervously, missing that fact that his gaze flicked ever so shortly to the bedroom door down the hall.  
  
"See you around Kagome." He nodded with a smile and she waved happily at his departing form.  
  
When she went back into the bedroom Inuyasha was sitting on the floor with his back against the end of the bed, glaring at the wall. "I heard that."  
  
"How?" she couldn't hear the vacuum cleaner on a Sunday morning with the bedroom door closed... but that could just be because she was usually near a coma at that point in the morning.  
  
"Doesn't matter." He turned his head towards her but his eyes didn't focus on her. "What happened to that food?"  
  
"So do you trust me now?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Like me?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Um... tolerate me?" she shrugged.  
  
"Say it however you like." He griped.  
  
Kagome rolled her eyes and padded off into the kitchen. "You want a sandwich?"  
  
"And that is...?" she heard his voice drawl from the other room.  
  
"Something vaguely edible by my hands." She offered.  
  
"You wouldn't happen to have any biscuits, would you?"  
  
"Biscuits?" Kagome strolled over to the cupboard and yanked the doors open. "I've got so many it's a wonder I'm not fat."  
  
"Why would you be fat?"  
  
His voice was growing nearer, like he was approaching and she glanced over her shoulder to see him edging along the wall. A pang of sympathy nagged her chest. "Because I'd be eating too many biscuits." She picked a full packet that had been bought for the party a few days ago but had never actually been opened. "Knock yourself out." She plonked it down before him.  
  
"No thanks, already done that." he grumbled. "Where are they? I can't smell them."  
  
Why would he be able to smell them? "They're there." She pointed absently to the packet and waited for him to pick them up. It took a few moments of blank silence before she gasped and slapped her forehead, before hurrying to hand the packet to him. "Sorry."  
  
"All this to myself?" she didn't miss the note of hope in his voice.  
  
"Sure." She smiled, even though she knew he wouldn't see it.  
  
"My god... it has chocolate too..."  
  
He definitely had really, REALLY cruel parents growing up. Kagome sat down opposite him and openly stared at him, safe in the knowledge that he wouldn't know she was-  
  
"Stop staring at me." He said shortly as he munched away.  
  
"I wasn't staring!" she quickly busied herself with flipping pages of a nearby magazine. "I was just reading... quietly... to myself..."  
  
He rolled those amazing gold eyes of his... eyes that could and probably would deliver piercing glares if he could focus on her. But now they just seemed a little glazed and dull. Kagome bit her lip. She was staring again, but at least she was still pretending to flick through the mag to cover her attention.  
  
At least now she knew that those ears were definitely not fake... since they were moving - and she'd checked before, while he was unconscious to make sure he didn't have false nails. It was all natural... but why?  
  
"Where are you from?"  
  
"Dunno."  
  
"Who were your parents?"  
  
"Dunno."  
  
"Are you an orphan?"  
  
"Dunno."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean."  
  
"'Dunno' is shorthand for 'I don't know'-"  
  
"You know that's not what I meant." She said wearily. "I'm giving you food, stranger, so you could at least grace me with a little light."  
  
"Wish you could do the same for me." He said quietly.  
  
Kagome bit her lip, she hadn't meant to say something like that. But he struck her as the type of person that would just scrutinise what she said for something to throw in her face like that. "Who are the people you're hiding from then?"  
  
"Bad people." He had tensed a little and was chewing slower.  
  
"Like gangsters?"  
  
He remained silent.  
  
"The Mafia?" she frowned slightly. "It isn't the authorities is it?"  
  
"Mm."  
  
"Mm? What's 'Mm' mean?" she rapped her fingers against the table. "Did you kill someone?"  
  
"Like I'd ever tell you!" he snapped.  
  
"How come you don't know anything? Why haven't you met other people before - how come you don't know what a sandwich is?"  
  
"I've met people! Just not females!" he glowered in her direction.  
  
"Well why not?"  
  
"Because!"  
  
Kagome sighed and tried to lower her tone to try again. "Who are these people you're running from?"  
  
"You could be one of them." He pointed out.  
  
"Then why would I be asking you who they are?"  
  
"Um..." he thought for a moment, obviously grappling for an excuse. "It could just be a trick to get me to trust you."  
  
"Look, if you don't tell me then how will I know to keep you safe against who? Do you want to be found?" she glared at him.  
  
"No."  
  
"Then tell me!"  
  
"No - because even if you weren't one of them, just knowing they existed would put you on their 'to kill' list, ok?!" he growled.  
  
That silenced her at once. "Kill? Why would they want to kill me?"  
  
"To keep their secrets safe?"  
  
"Are you their secret?" she said suddenly, saying it before she realised it.  
  
He inhaled deeply and turned his attention to his biscuits. "Where's the bathroom?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I think I'm going to throw up."  
  
"Big faker." She sighed and pointed through the doorway down the hall. "It's just over there."  
  
The phone rang before he could point out he couldn't hear her pointed finger and she was out of her seat like a shot to answer it. "Hello?!" ok, maybe she was a little desperate for some decent human conversation.  
  
"Hey, it's Miroku."  
  
"Oh, hi!"  
  
"How's the patient."  
  
"Oh... he's awake... and he's healing fast..." A big understatement.  
  
"Who're you talking to?" Inuyasha suddenly demanded.  
  
Kagome quickly covered the end of the phone with her hand. "Will you just relax - it's a friend - I told him not to tell anyone you're here ok? He helped fix you up."  
  
"Fix me up to what?"  
  
Kagome shook her head and put the receiver back to her ear. "Yeah, like I said, he's walking and talking again..."  
  
"You don't sound happy. Is he giving you a hard time?"  
  
"No, it's not that... it's just that now he's awake, we've discovered that he's blind..." she trailed off.  
  
There was a long pause at the other end before he spoke. "But I checked his eyes... they didn't seem damaged in any way from whatever caused his other injuries. Are you sure he wasn't blind before? Does he have amnesia?"  
  
Kagome turned back to Inuyasha. "Do you have amnesia."  
  
"I can't remember." He shrugged.  
  
"He doesn't have amnesia." She relayed to Miroku. "It's recent."  
  
"Does he know what could have caused it then?"  
  
Kagome turned back again. "How did you get injured?"  
  
"I fell over."  
  
"Onto a gun?"  
  
"...yes..."  
  
"Pull the other leg." The shifted her stance. "Was there anything to make you go blind?"  
  
"Why does your friend want to know?" he scowled suspiciously.  
  
"He's an intern doctor and he... why are you growling at me?" she frowned at his sudden change in attitude.  
  
"All fucking doctors are the same..." he grumbled, short of bristling his fur.  
  
"But he's a good doctor." Kagome told him faithfully.  
  
"There was a flash of light... I guess... it was pretty bright... it happened before the grenade went off."  
  
Kagome stared at him, the word 'grenade' running through her head like a broken record. She held up the phone again. "He says it was a bright flash of light... in the face I suppose." She was still staring at Inuyasha... wondering how on earth he'd gotten caught up in a grenade.  
  
"Well... that can be good news and bad news." Miroku sounded thoughtful.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Best case scenario - his sight will return in a matter of hours... days... less than a month at least."  
  
"That's good!" Kagome stated.  
  
"Yeah, but the worst that can happen is that it's going to be permanent. If his retinas have been damaged irreparably then his sight might half return... fuzzy... never normal again. And if the retinas have been completely burnt out..."  
  
"What would happen?" Kagome gripped the phone tightly.  
  
"He'll be blind permanently."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: and at this point you don't have a clue whether or not I'm going to make it permanent or semi-permanent... oooooooh... but don't worry, his life won't be too miserable I assure you - I'M NOT INTO WRITING DARK FICS! They're too depressing and I always make light of them... so I just read the ones written by the professionals. Anyway - next chapter should be along soon!^_^) 


	5. Confessions

Disclaimer: don't own Inuyasha, and refer to chapter one disclaimer if you want to be doubly certain I mean that.  
  
(A/N: Ok, hopefully there should be no more problems with updating any more chapters. So here's chapter 5 for all the people who read the fic ^_^ BTW: I don't intend to make him blind forever... jeez... I'm not that cruel. He' might get it back when he's... eighty or something...)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price Freedom  
  
Confessions  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Any leads? Any suspects?"  
  
"Not yet."  
  
Naraku clenched his fists against the glass top table and took one big deep calming breath as he glared at Kouga. "I should have known better than to let an incompetent little Ookami deal with something as vital as this."  
  
Kikyo leaped to his defence, but really only because she wanted a dig at the boss. "Actually, Ookami is one of the best trackers in the institute - second only to Inu, which is probably why it has been so hard to track him... Ookami is the best resource we have."  
  
A faint frown furrowed between Kouga's eyebrows at being called a 'resource' like he was some kind of tool. But he forced it away the moment Naraku's eyes snapped back on him. It was obvious that Kikyo was successful in her attempt to piss him off further.  
  
"What news have you got so far, animal?" Naraku demanded calmly.  
  
Kouga shifted his shoulders back a little as though bracing for something. "No news yet. But I am certain that he's in the coastal town."  
  
"How can you be sure of that if you don't have any news?" Naraku narrowed his eyes a fraction,  
  
"Because it is too far from the major city of Tokyo to hitchhike. No one would allow him on their own mode of transport. Plus, with wounds like the ones he sustained it is doubtful that he would be able to make it across the mountains."  
  
Naraku was silently waiting.  
  
"Sir." Kouga added on quickly after realising Naraku had been waiting for him.  
  
"Indeed..." Naraku shifted in his chair and looked back towards Kikyo who stood a few feet behind Kouga. "Well since the animal is so incompetent, we might as well send him a little accomplice, eh, Miss Kikyo."  
  
Both young man and woman stiffened.  
  
"Yes... that should do quite nicely." He leaned back as though it was a done deal. "And don't you dare return unless you have his head or know where he is."  
  
Both of them cursed mentally and repeatedly as they skulked out the office, throwing each other dirty looks. Naraku seemed to be the only happy member of the party - seeing as he had just sent away two pesky vermin in one shot.  
  
Like killing two birds with one stone.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome was starting to develop an incredibly severe headache by the end of the third day alone with Inuyasha. He was like a three-year-old child... but bigger... more hot tempered... and a heck of a lot stronger and easier to get bored.  
  
For a start, he'd also taken up residence in her bed and she had been forced out into the other bedroom that was slightly bigger, but held less warmth. And she was having to wait on hand and foot for Inuyasha... even though he insisted he didn't need help.  
  
"You have your shirt on back to front." She informed him as he entered the kitchen, step by mini step.  
  
He stopped and just narrowed his eyes. "Does it matter?"  
  
"Uh... yeah, because the label's sticking up under your chin." She moved to get up from her stool. "You want help putting it-?"  
  
"No!" he snapped angrily and she recoiled slightly.  
  
"I was just only trying to help..." she mumbled quietly, seating herself back down slowly. She turned her attention pointedly to that morning's newspaper before her, and ignored his efforts across the table to tug the shirt back off over his head.  
  
It was one of the new ones, a dark grey colour, plain, a little loose and average. Yet still he was having difficulty. She stole a little peak up at him when he'd completely removed it, telling herself that she was only checking for wounds. But upon seeing no scabs or scars - apart from the skin being a little raw in places - her gaze lingered a little longer than necessary on such a flat, hard torso. Not over-muscled but with decent amount of muscle to be called 'quite hot'. Though she didn't see any reason to why he was particularly strong - not when her father had been a lot stronger looking but had had trouble lifting her by the ankle when she was three... not that he'd ever tried it - hence he was still a good father in her head.  
  
She turned her gaze away when he started putting the shirt back on and pretending to become engrossed in page flicking, licking her index finger as she slowly turned each page with great care. Only because Inuyasha was starting to have trouble. But eventually he was done. "There. See, I can do things for myself?"  
  
Kagome took a quick check before looking back down. "Your labels still under your chin." She told him wearily.  
  
"Shoot..."  
  
"And now it's inside out."  
  
He gave an irritated growl and yanked the shirt off again. His action was a little rough and Kagome was set wincing. "Hey, careful! That shirt cost money!"  
  
"Whatever." He started to put it on again but Kagome just sighed.  
  
"You're doing it wrong again." She pointed out.  
  
He scowled. "Fine! You do it then!" he threw the shirt at her with amazing accuracy considering he was blind, and it hit her softly in the chest and slump to her lap. It took her a few seconds to get over the initial shock that he was even asking for help. For the past three days he had steered clear of any help whatsoever, despite the fact that he sometimes needed it, but he still had his pride.  
  
"Ok," she took the shirt and walked around to him, setting it right as she did so. "Arms up!"  
  
He grumbled deeply as he grudgingly complied and she smiled slightly as she slipped the shirt over his arms and head - the correct way. The whole ordeal reminded her a lot of when she had to dress Souta when their mother was pressed for time on school mornings. "Want me to tie your laces too?"  
  
"Don't treat me like a kid." He growled.  
  
"Then stop acting like one." She shot back and sat down beside him, ignoring the way he edged away from her slightly. It was something she'd grown used to. He just didn't like being too near others - some people were like that. It was ok... just as long as you didn't live in Tokyo.  
  
"Pass the cereal?" he asked, holding out his hand expectantly.  
  
"What's the magic word you're supposed to add on the end?" she countered.  
  
"Pass the cereal... bitch?"  
  
"Here you go." She just handed him the remains of her own breakfast and left him to mull over the highly sugared up contents. Not that he seemed to mind taking her leftovers. Though she really thought with someone with a pride and ego as big as his did, he ought to have a little more... shame...?  
  
"Spoon?" he demanded again and his hand came out towards her again, taking her by surprise and unintentionally colliding with the right side of her chest. He frowned slightly and was about to investigate a little further when she slapped his hand away sharply, blushing all the way to her hairline. "What the heck are those anyway?"  
  
Kagome stared, still furiously blushing with his bluntness. "What do you mean 'what are those'?!" she ground out.  
  
"Exactly what I said. You deaf or something?"  
  
"Exactly where have you BEEN for the last couple of millennia of evolution?" she snapped. "How can you not know what a woman's assets are?"  
  
"I've never met a woman before - I told you!" he snapped back at her.  
  
"But that's impossible!" she gasped.  
  
"Not really if you live in such an isolated place like I did!"  
  
"And where was that, then?!"  
  
"On a - hey! None of your fucking business!" he snapped.  
  
Kagome felt her cheek twitch slightly from annoyance. She'd been trying to catch him out for ages on the subject of who he was and what he was. But he'd been keeping it all hush, hush and she was no closer to finding out anymore than his name. So she tried to change topic again. "I don't believe you've never met a woman before. And even if you hadn't, why didn't you have sex education?"  
  
"S-sex?" he looked like he'd just swallowed a stapler. "I can't have had... that... if I'd never seen a woman."  
  
"Education!" I gasped. "And obviously you haven't had a lot of that - your grammar's awful!"  
  
He folded his arms self-consciously. "Your point?"  
  
"So you were never educated?" Kagome asked cautiously. He just shook his head. "At all?"  
  
"I know about human rights... that's about it..." he said quietly.  
  
"Are you human...?" she wanted to know.  
  
"Do I look human?" he turned his head in her direction, but not focusing his eyes on her.  
  
"Yes... you do..." Kagome wasn't sure that was the right answer but he shrugged anyway. "How come you only know human rights then?"  
  
"Because it's a patronising game." He said with a sarcastic smile. "Like dangling meat in front of a hungry lion."  
  
Kagome didn't get it... but she doubted he was going to tell her much more than that. "You're definitely not from around here, are you?"  
  
"What gave me away?"  
  
"Well... you're on the run from a group of people." Her overactive imagination pulled through... just to speculate of course. "Let me guess - you're like this NEW subspecies of human that was found on some distant tropical island by the government who want to keep it underwraps and have imprisoned you in some kind of underground lab?"  
  
He snorted. "You're weird."  
  
"I know. But only because you seem to be whispering government... or military codes in your sleep." She shifted on her seat so she could turn to face him properly. "Tell me... what does... 'three two nine I' mean?"  
  
He bowl slammed down so hard it nearly cracked. "Who told you that?"  
  
"You did." She said quickly, a little surprised by his reaction. "In your sleep."  
  
"You watch me sleep?" he snapped, frowning at her.  
  
"No - when you were unconscious when I found you."  
  
He was silent before shaking his head. "You're one of them - you have to be - I DON'T talk in my sleep!"  
  
"You weren't asleep - you were unconscious!" she huffed.  
  
"You just said it was when I was sleeping!" he shouted  
  
"I lied - so sue me!" she yelled equally as aggressively.  
  
"So you're lying - then you must be one of them!" he pushed away from the stool and the kitchen table.  
  
"Who is 'they'?!" Kagome stood as well, turning slowly as he moved away from her. His bad shoulder connected with the doorframe and he gasped in pain and almost buckled. Kagome was at his side in a shot.  
  
"Leave me be!" he yelled, pushing her away, none too gently.  
  
"You're injured and blind - what am I supposed to do?!" she cried back, her voice going a little hoarse. No one ever provoked her to yell so much as this one guy did.  
  
"Why don't you just leave me alone! I don't need your help!" he was backed against the wall, and to all aspects looked like a cornered animal. "I escaped to find my own freedom and life - and you're not helping by trying to turn me into some petty little dependent invalid!"  
  
Kagome calmed herself a little more, and let the pause stretch a bit so he could do the same. "Look... I don't understand why you're trying to run from something - but if you just tell me..."  
  
"What if you're one of them?" he interrupted.  
  
Kagome fought to keep her anger to a minimal. "But I'm not ok... I want to help you properly but I can't if you won't LET me, ok? All I want to know is what happened to you...? Why you don't know the stuff every teenager shoulder know...? Why you've never met a single girl in your life...?"  
  
"I have no idea what they look like. They're just rumours... I knew they existed but it's like a myth of legendary creatures. I knew they were out there... I didn't know I'd ever meet one." He sounded a little hesitant now.  
  
"What about your own mother?" Kagome frowned.  
  
"Never knew her."  
  
"Sisters?"  
  
He shook his head.  
  
Kagome sighed and stepped closer, he felt her proximity and leaned back as much as possible since he was backed as far as he could go. She took one of his hands by the wrist but stopped when she saw him flinch. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing." He said through gritted teeth.  
  
"I'm not going to hurt you." She said carefully.  
  
"As if I was ever worried." He scoffed, relaxing a little anyway.  
  
"I just want to show you..." she took his other rather tense hand and led them towards her face. It was something she'd often experienced with one of her uncles - her mother's brother. He'd been blind since birth because of an incubation bed accident when he'd been born... something about too much pure oxygen... a mistake that had since been corrected in hospitals - but her uncle had had to live with it his whole life. And although he'd never seen her face, he often said that she was his gorgeous little niece because he 'saw' it in her face.  
  
The pads of Inuyasha's fingers were tensed stiffly against her skin and for a while she thought he was just going to stand like that, until a small frown appeared on his brow and his fingers spread a little to examine her. She rested her hands loosely against his forearms as he delicately touched her face with such care that he was almost trembling... something that belied his earlier aggression and strength.  
  
"What do you look like?" he questioned quietly. He'd always wondered.  
  
"I have black hair, shoulder length." She felt his right hand run down her hair to the tips, taking in the silky texture. "Blue eyes-"  
  
"Blue?" his fingers gently touched her closed eyelids. "I thought they were brown... everyone I know has brown... is it a girl thing?"  
  
"No... it's just a me thing." She smiled unintentionally and felt his fingers take in the smile.  
  
"What else?"  
  
"Um... people say I have fair skin... but after such a long time in the sun it's gone a tad darker."  
  
"You're tanned?"  
  
"Not much."  
  
"I've never seen the sun, I can't be tanned." He shook his head slightly, his concentration still on her face.  
  
Kagome quickly took a check. He wasn't ghostly white... far from it... he had a slight tan - darker than her own though she couldn't understand that if he'd said he'd never seen the sun. Though she'd heard of indoor lights that were being used in gyms that could simulate real sunlight.  
  
"Are you beautiful?" Inuyasha asked from out of the blue.  
  
Kagome took a double take. "Huh?"  
  
"Are you... pretty?" he was sure she felt pretty. Smooth skin, fine hair, warm soft lips... she felt a darn lot prettier than him.  
  
She stared at him. Would he treat her different if he thought she was pretty. She was well aware of her own looks, and knew he would either treat her better... or worse. So she opted for the safe road. "Mm... average I suppose. A little pretty... but not stunning... not ugly either though."  
  
"Well if you're average - how pretty do girl's get?" he frowned, taking his hands from her face, both took deep breaths as the moment ended.  
  
Kagome blushed a little and turned back to the table, glad at least that they weren't arguing anymore. "Quite pretty."  
  
  
  
  
  
^-^  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome walked into the lounge in the morning to find Inuyasha sitting cross- legged on the sofa, listening intently to the television, almost as if he could see the movement on the screen. "It's a nice morning."  
  
"Is it?" he sounded bored.  
  
"You wanna go for a walk?"  
  
"What's the point if I can't see the morning?" he grouched.  
  
Kagome frowned a little. "Well maybe you can't see it... but you can smell it - and feel it, and hear the wind in the trees."  
  
He thought for a moment before sighing like the reluctant boy he was and started to get up. "Fine." Kagome refrained from reaching out to help - she knew she'd only get rebuked. The guy was a grouch in the morning. But she was going to try her hardest to make him open up... even if it was only a little.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"-And he lived a happy long life despite the fact he couldn't see. Wife, kids... money... he had the works my uncle. It didn't bother him that it was permanent-"  
  
"You seem convinced that this is forever, you know." He interrupted sharply, stopping in his walk with her across the beach. "And besides - he never even knew what he was missing if he was blind since he was born."  
  
"All I'm saying is that I understand how difficult it can be to be blind - but you can get used to it-"  
  
"You still think this is permanent!" he snapped.  
  
Kagome frowned and folded her arms, the slight breeze chilling her bare legs and making her shiver. "You're not going to get anywhere if you keep turning my efforts to help you down."  
  
"And you must be deaf if you think I need help! I tell you again and again! I don't need or want you!"  
  
Kagome narrowed her eyes. "Fine, if that's the way you feel, I'll be leaving then."  
  
He heard her turned, bare foot, in the sand and start flouncing off towards the cliff until the sound of her footsteps died. For a moment he felt better. He liked being alone, at least now he could relax. But then he began to panic. He was alone.  
  
He couldn't see his way back to the house, he could barely tell which way the cliff was and which way the ocean was since the sound of the waves seemed to be all around him. He pivoted this way and that, clamping down on the fear that rose... no... he had nothing to be scared of... Kagome would come back for him and then...  
  
Inuyasha dropped into the sand with defeat. "Wonderful... now I'm starting to think like I do need her..." he groaned, running his hands over his face and rubbing his eyes, just in case they started working again.  
  
"I won't give up on a hopeless case like you." Kagome said sharply from behind him. He leapt to his feet so quickly that he lost his balance and fell on his rear all over again.  
  
"When did you get back?!" he snarled, embarrassed he'd been caught talking to himself about her.  
  
"I never left." She said simply and felt her hand on his shoulder. He hadn't seen the contact coming and flinched with surprise. She took it wrong, thinking he didn't want to be touched and withdrew her hand. "You DO need me Inuyasha, you just said so."  
  
He was silent. There was no way he could just take back what he'd said. "So?"  
  
"So, you wanna go back now? I'm getting cold." She told him gently, with a hint of a smile in her voice. He didn't know how he knew she was smiling, but he tone suddenly got that way it did when she laughed or smiled.  
  
They started on their way back, Kagome walking a little ahead of the Inuyasha, telling him when there were steps or rocks to mind. "I haven't given up on your chances of recovery yet, you know. Miroku says you could get your sight back in the next week or so."  
  
"And if I don't...?"  
  
"Then it really will be permanent." She said simply. She paused a moment before sighing. "I won't give up on you then. You need my help whether you like it or not."  
  
"Have you asked if I want it?"  
  
"Do you want it?" she stopped walking.  
  
"Whatever."  
  
That was as close to a yes as she was going to get and she smiled widely. It was a start. She linked her arm through his to guide him, glad that he didn't shy away from once. "Great. But this means you have to do me favours too."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: the whole point of this fic is his blindness, people. It's the growth of trust and acceptance between the two of them... plus a good conspirator plot behind them. But don't worry - he might very well see Kagome eventually. Though I might change my mind. But don't stress ppl^_^!) 


	6. Hidden Past

Disclaimer: Same as chapter one

(A/N: Chapter number six at last - now I have to go to a friend's birthday barbecue... hope the rain holds off. Enjoy the new chapter!)

**The Price of Freedom**

**Hidden Past**

"Thank you, Mr and Mrs Ookami.  Your room is just around the corner - number eighteen." The clerk smiled happily at the new couple. "Enjoy your honeymoon at our resort."

"We will!" Kikyo replied and dragged her 'husband' Kouga off as quickly as possible before she threw up.

They entered their honeymoon suit and Kikyo immediately set about sweeping the place for bugs (the listening kind, not the biting kind) while Kouga took his time enjoying the free mints on the pillows of the large emperor sized bed.

"I have a theory." Kikyo said, coming back into the bedroom from the bathroom.

"The sheets aren't washed properly?" Kouga guessed, inspecting the satin quilt beneath him critically.

"No - it's about Inu."

"He's called Inuyasha."

"Do I give a damn?" Kikyo snorted and sat down on the bed, delicately crossing her legs and placing her hands on her lap. "I think it's pretty logical to assume that he's been taken in by someone."

"Oh yeah?" Kouga didn't sound interested.

"Or abducted by someone." She nodded.

"Aliens?"

"No - humans." Amazingly enough she'd taken him seriously. "Not one man from the institute has managed to find his body in a ten mile radius of the coast, and they've combed the ocean between here and there. So he has either floated away beyond the radius as a dead body - or someone found him and is taking care of him."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because if he had died from blood-loss, he would be out there waiting for us to find his body. And he couldn't have been sent to hospital, otherwise the gunshot wound would have been reported by now. Or else he'd be in a morgue... but I've checked all the local ones and he isn't in any."

"Maybe he hitchhiked to the city after all?" Kouga lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Not with his looks. And I've checked the hospitals in the nearby cities, and even in Tokyo."

"So he's around here somewhere being housed by someone who's not saying anything." Kouga shrugged. "Perhaps he's awake and sworn them to secrecy."

"I think so." Kikyo smiled. "We're getting closer. I know it."

^_^

There was probably no reason as to why she woke up in the middle of the night, besides the fact that her mouth was dry and she wanted a glass of water. Kagome got up, yawning, and headed with shuffled feet out of her bedroom to the kitchen. It was pitch black outside, so she could see nothing other than the moths that clung to the windows due to the kitchen light.

She poured herself a glass of water and paused a moment to take a few sips. She almost dropped the glass entirely when a masculine scream pierced the air.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!"

It was Inuyasha, yelling at the top of his lungs. Without any regard for her own safety, she hurtled through the house to the bedroom and threw open the door. She expected someone to be standing over him... but there was no one beside himself.

He was lying twisted in the sheets, writhing like he was strapped down by invisible bonds and unable to get away from whatever was causing him distress. "Inuyasha!" she yelled, trying to wake him up. But he didn't respond.

"Two, two, nine O..." Inuyasha's breathing was becoming labored. "It was him...! Don't touch me! I'll kill you!"

He wasn't yelling this to Kagome... but to some unseen phantom in his sleep.

"INUYASHA!!" Kagome didn't want to get any closer to the bed due to the way he was flailing those limbs and sharp claws of his.

"My arm!"

Kagome couldn't take it any longer and tossed the water from her glass into his face. Almost at once his movements stilled and he took a moment to calm his breathing and open his eyes. "Who's there?"

Kagome swallowed her relief that he was awake.

"Who's there?!" Inuyasha said more urgently, sitting bolt upright.

"It's me, Kagome! You were having a bad dream." She sat down beside him, touching his arm softly. "But it's ok now, it was just a-"

The rest of her sentence died in her throat with a gasp as he suddenly tugged her forward roughly into a bone-crushing hug... literally. She could barely breathe, let alone feel her arms anymore. It was so totally unexpected that she sat stunned for a few moments, her chin resting on his shoulder with his face buried in her hair.

After a few minutes he seemed to realise what he was doing and pulled back a little. "Um..." was all he could say.

"Bad dream?" she tried, not bothering to resist the urge to sweep his bangs away from his forehead. "You were screaming."

"I don't scream."

"Well you don't think that because you're asleep when you talk and scream, so you don't know you're doing it." She pointed out logically.

He flopped back down quickly.

Kagome's interest sparked quickly in what he'd been talking about before. "What's two, two, nine O, then?" she asked, intertwining her fingers.

"Shut up."

Being rebuked so curtly after such a display of emotion ticked her off. "No."

"You don't know what you're talking about." He turned over so he faced away from her.

"Then tell me." She pleaded.

"If you knew, they'd kill you."

"I don't want to die." She admitted truthfully.

"Then don't ask."

"What if they don't know I asked?"

"Then you'd still know. And they'd know you know, no matter what you did or didn't know."

"What?"

"I don't know." He sighed.

"Wouldn't they assume you told me all about them if they ever found me?" she asked sincerely. "If so, why not just tell me anyway so I know what I'm supposed to hide from?"

He was silent for a long time, but Kagome sat patiently, hoping he hadn't fallen asleep. "You shouldn't have to deal with this."

"Why not?"

"Because you're too nice. You don't deserve to get caught up in things over your head."

"Neither do you. You're blind - you need me - we'll help each other."

He sighed and sat up again to face her. "You're making a mistake."

"You're going to tell me?"

"...Yeah..." he sighed in defeat again.

"Ok." Kagome shifted to get comfortable, with a happy smile. "So who are 'they'?"

"Bad people." He said simply.

"I knew that - but where are you from?"

"An island... I thought if I escaped from there I would be free forever... but, even though I've escaped, I don't think I'll ever be free." He ran a hand through his hair. "Ever since I was born, I've been in that institute... tested... both physically and mentally, and tried for improvement. They never let us outside unless it was night, and in the daytime they kept us inside in our cells or tested us in these bright rooms."

Kagome stared at him silently, trying to absorb this information. This actually sounded a lot more serious than the gang warfare that she'd earlier presumed. "In 'our' cells. There are more people like you?"

"No... we're never the same... we're always different – always being improved or worsened in some way." he said bitterly. "There are subjects there in their late teens... that's as old as we've got... with all sorts of things wrong with their bodies, inside and out."

"What are you talking about?" Kagome frowned at him.

"Ever heard of genetic experimentation?" he asked wearily. "Where you tinker with the DNA of an embryo or something before growing it?"

"Are you...?"

"Part dog."

"And Kouga...?"

"Part wolf..."

"And there are others?"

"Rabbits, cats, monkeys, lions, rats... you name it - some poor sod is bound to be it."

"And the code you said before, 'three, two, nine, I' and 'Two, two, nine, O'?" Kagome pressed.

"Three two nine is my code. My DNA changes - the I for Inu. And Kouga is two, two, nine, O. The two, and the nine at the end of the code is the canine code."

"This is for real?" Kagome stared at him flatly. "You're not making this up? How can this happen? Someone must have found out about this ages ago and stopped it!"

"The people running it are a branch of the government. That's all I know. That's all anyone knows. But no one here on the mainland understands the extent of the experimentation over there. Inspectors come yearly to check the research, and all the institute shows them is some ancient research from years ago about genes and chromosomes. They hide us away..."

"Why...?" Kagome clenched her hands into fists. "How can they do that? Why?"

"Because they can. The guy running it thinks he's God. He can do what he wants. He's trying to create the strongest imaginable human being - but even then he says we're animals. The men there taunt us with the whole human rights crap, knowing that they're breaking every rule in the book, but can get away with it because we're not classified as human."

"That's horrible... no wonder you wanted to get away..." Kagome touched his arm and his head twitched towards her.

"I wanted to be a real man, but I don't feel real... not with these..." He gestured to his eyes. "It's all been stolen from me..."

"You can still be real even if you can't see!" Kagome protested. "My uncle- "

"Him again?" Inuyasha rolled his head back.

"Yes, him again! He had lots of women because he was good-looking alone - he didn't have to see the women he dated to know they were looking at him." She smiled.

"No self-respecting girl would give me two glances. And even then it would only be to think 'oh, look at that freak'." He grumbled.

"I don't know... ever since your wounds healed, I think you've been good looking." She said idly. "Your ears are kinda cute... any girl would overlook some blind disability to date you."

"That sets me out of your league then." He folded his arms cockily.

"Of course, the disability of being a jerk is a totally different kettle of fish." She rolled her eyes.

"Nah... you'd always be ahead of me in any league." He said quietly. "Any day of the week."

Kagome frowned at him slightly, a little sympathetic. She didn't think he was a freak. A jerk maybe, but not a freak. To her he was just Inuyasha... Inuyasha with the funny ears... but he was hardly any different than some of the boys in her class. Apart from the fact that he didn't know whom Pamela Anderson was.

Suddenly without much other inhibition, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his firmly. The action took him completely by surprise, and he stared at her with wide unseeing eyes. "What are you doing?" he mumbled against her lips.

She pulled back a little. "Kissing you."

"Ah..."

She doubted by the look on his face that he'd ever been kissed before. And if he had, she'd be worried since the only people he'd ever known had been the male side of the species.

"You shouldn't worry about the Institute coming for you. I swear I'll protect you." She promised as she rose to her feet, sliding off the bed. "Goodnight."

She was at the door when she heard him mutter an almost inaudible reply. "I don't need protecting."

She smiled wryly and left, closing the door firmly behind her to let him get some more sleep. He flopped back onto the bed and turned face down into the pillow - his thinking position. Absently he pursed his lips, reflecting on the way she'd felt… so soft...

Everything about her was soft. Her body, her nature, and her touch... except her temper, which could somehow spike to match his own at times. She was too gentle to get caught up in this... and she was the one who would need protecting. And with his eyes in a pig state like they were, he doubted he would be able to manage that.

(A/N: Hope you enjoyed it so far!! ^_^) 


	7. Baited Date

Disclaimer: same as chapter, one, two, three, four, five and six.  
  
(A/N: Be warned - whatever you may read in the next chapter - this is still Inu/Kag pairing, ok!)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price of Freedom  
  
Baited Date  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Coa-Coa... a cure for all that ails you." Kagome handed the warm mug to Inuyasha across the kitchen table. He was dressed - she wasn't - the one thing she didn't have to worry about in his presence was dressing up efficiently. So she was still in her flannel pyjamas.  
  
"Can it cure blindness?" Inuyasha griped like he usually did in the morning.  
  
"It might. But it cures... hunger... and..." she looked thoughtful. "And thirst."  
  
"Wow, you're really pushing the brain out." He took a tentative sniff and then a small sip before spluttering a bit. "Hot!"  
  
"You have to blow on it before you sip." She pointed out a little late.  
  
He pulled a face and did as she advised and slowly took another sip. "Mm... it would probably taste nice if my tongue wasn't burned."  
  
Kagome was about to answer to that when the doorbell went. She closed her mouth and looked through the kitchen doorway to the front door. Inuyasha immediately lifted his head and growled. "Kouga."  
  
"Kouga?!" Kagome jumped to her feet and grabbed Inuyasha's arm to tug him away from the table.  
  
"Hey!" Inuyasha protested as the hot chocolate spilled on his thigh.  
  
"No time! Hide!" she stuffed him into a bedroom and closed the door behind him before composing herself to answer the door. When she did so she opened it with a big wide smile. "Oh hello again, Kouga!"  
  
"Hey Kagome." He greeted simply.  
  
"You still looking for your friend? - Cause I haven't seen him yet." She said, her fingers twitching behind her back randomly like they usually did when she told a blatant lie.  
  
"Nah... actually I wanted to ask you if we could talk sometime." He cocked his head slightly, his gaze sliding past her to the bedroom door again where he was certain he could hear faint sounds coming from.  
  
Kagome, who couldn't hear anything with her average hearing, didn't realise what he was doing. "Talk? What about?"  
  
"Stuff... maybe over a drink and something to eat in Starbucks." He shrugged and flashed a handsome boyish grin.  
  
Kagome just didn't have the heart to disappoint him. "Ok... when do you want to talk?"  
  
"Tonight if possible." But only because this was the only chance he would get away from Kikyo who was back with her military folk along the coast. If they found the house and Inuyasha - Kouga didn't want them to find Kagome as well and punish her too.  
  
"O-ok." She stammered slightly, hoping she wasn't blushing too hard.  
  
"Great, see ya around then." He grinned again and turned.  
  
"Bye!" Kagome sighed and shut the door.  
  
A large bang of the bedroom door being forced open snapped her mind back into perspective. "Oh no..."  
  
"Kagome!"  
  
"Don't start on me, Inuyasha!" she turned and raised a finger to berate him as he stormed toward her, basically knowing his way around the house by now despite his lack of vision.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he growled, coming face to face with her.  
  
"Going on a date! Got a problem with that?" she growled.  
  
"But he's one of them!" he hissed.  
  
"Isn't he like you?"  
  
"He was born and raised but he's one of only a handful that actually work for the institute. It's their only chance at getting out of the compound occasionally - he's a low, back-handed coward! And he'd sell his own mother down the river to maintain his position as lap dog!"  
  
"Oh, you're exaggerating." She waved a hand in dismissal and brushed past him. He followed her like a shadow nonetheless.  
  
"You can't see him!" he snapped like an over protective father/brother/boyfriend/friend.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because he'll hurt you!" he snapped.  
  
Kagome sighed and turned to face him, making him run into her unexpectedly. When she'd steadied them both she started again. "You're overreacting. He wouldn't try anything in such a public place - and anyway - if I see him then I might get some information about the search for you that will work to our advantage."  
  
"As if - you only want to face suck with him!"  
  
"Face-suck?!" she gaped at him. "You're unbelievable!"  
  
"Why? You did it to me!"  
  
"Call it kissing, ok? Just kissing!"  
  
"So you're saying you will kiss him?" he narrowed his eyes.  
  
"I'm saying I will do what I have to do to help you." She replied evenly and headed off into the kitchen. "Besides. I'm getting bored. I've spent ages cooped up inside this house with nothing to do other than stare at you." She moved past the fridge to the cupboards.  
  
"You stare at me? That's freaky... well... how would you like it if I stared at you?" he pretended to stare at her - or more - at the fridge.  
  
"I'm over here, Inuyasha." She told him flatly from the sink.  
  
"I knew that." he said self-consciously and found himself a seat to sit down.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Watch the house, ok?" Kagome called as she collected her bag and keys from the hall.  
  
"Think about what you just said." Inuyasha told her.  
  
"Um... ok... FEEL the house while I'm gone, ok?" she grabbed her jacket.  
  
Inuyasha shot up from his position on the sofa. "Where are you going?!"  
  
"On the date."  
  
"I thought we discussed this." He snapped angrily.  
  
"No, we argued, and I won, remember."  
  
"Must have that pesky amnesia again." He said sarcastically.  
  
"Whatever, I'm going." She said flatly and left by way of the kitchen door.  
  
"I forbid you to go see him! He's nothing but bad trouble!" Inuyasha shouted, but received nothing but silence. "Kagome? Are you sulking?... Kagome...?"  
  
  
  
  
  
^-^  
  
  
  
  
  
Actually, half way through the evening, Kagome was starting to wish that she had heeded Inuyasha's warning. Not that Kouga was scaring her to death or anything... he was just boring her to death...  
  
He just sat there gloating over this and that and how he must be the luckiest man on earth to get a date with such a kind hearted girl. She was flattered at least the first time he said it. But then she started to get bored and her gaze inched down from his eyes to the table, beginning to notice the little face patterns in the wood grains.  
  
"So!" she jumped in when he took a pause to breathe. "How's the search for your friend going then?"  
  
He watched her a moment before answering. "Not very well." At least that was truthful.  
  
"When did you lose him?" Kagome asked with innocent eyes as she sipped her coke through her straw.  
  
"Almost a week ago. He fell off a pier... got a bit damaged on some rocks below and we haven't seen him since." He told her calmly.  
  
"'We?'" she queried.  
  
He seemed to bite his own tongue for his slip up. "His other friends and me are looking for him."  
  
"Wow... you must really be fond of him to go to all this trouble. How many of you are looking?" she was really going for gold here.  
  
"Well there's me... his girlfriend, Kikyo... and at least three other people looking around the coast."  
  
Kagome just didn't believe the bit about the girlfriend. That was too improbable considering Inuyasha had told her about what went on in hat institute they belonged to. Even thinking about it made her feel a little queasy.  
  
"Sorry, Kouga... I don't think that chicken sandwich really agreed with me... I fell a little sick." She pressed a hand to her stomach to overstate. "Can I go home?"  
  
"Do you want me to walk you?"  
  
"Sure." After all, she didn't fancy walking home in the dark on her own. After a while Kagome began to shiver due to the cold night air... so Kouga kindly offered his jacket.  
  
They walked home, chatting idly on the way, with sometimes a few long lulls in conversation where they walked in silence. When they finally reached the holiday home by the coast Kagome turned back to Kouga, remembering to feign her illness. She made them both stop by the gate of the drive, not wanting him to approach the house completely because Inuyasha was probably still in there. Unless he had decided to go for a walk on his own and had fallen off a cliff somewhere.  
  
"Thanks for the evening, Kouga." She smiled weakly as though the mere twitch of lips was causing her grievous pain and handed his jacket back.  
  
"You sure you're ok from here?" he asked with genuine concern.  
  
"I'm sure I can find my way." She looked to the house that was only a few metres away now.  
  
"Never mind then. Maybe next time." He chucked her chin affectionately and started off.  
  
Kagome watched him leave, making sure he was definitely going before heading back into the house. "Inuyasha?"  
  
"You sneaky little bitch!"  
  
A shoe came flying out of the lounge doorway to hit the wall only a metre away from her. She jumped automatically from surprise, but she knew that Inuyasha must have been aiming to miss even if he was blind. Because he never missed.  
  
"What's got your boxers in a twist?" she poked her head around the lounge door.  
  
"You! I can't believe you! You only went out with him to piss me off!"  
  
"Maybe!" she said haughtily, even though that hadn't been the reason at all.  
  
Inuyasha staggered up from the sofa and found his way over to her, leaning in slightly to inhale deeply. "You wreak of him!" he accused hotly.  
  
"How would you know?"  
  
"He's been all over you, hasn't he?!" Inuyasha snarled.  
  
It took Kagome a little while to understand why she smelt of Kouga, but before she could answer, Inuyasha was stalking out of her line of sight. "Whatever... I don't care what you did."  
  
Kagome followed him into the kitchen. "Yes, you do, otherwise you wouldn't be acting like this."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Like your jealous."  
  
He scoffed. "I am NOT!"  
  
"Yes you ARE!" Kagome scoffed right back and slid in front of him to block him from stalking away again. "Aren't you?"  
  
"You're delusional!" he turned away from her and sat down on the nearest stool he found. "And I don't want to talk about Ookami anymore."  
  
"Fine." Kagome stood stiffly for a while with her arms folded and a grim line on her lips. "I found out more about your search."  
  
"I just said I don't want to-"  
  
"I don't care what you said, Inuyasha!" she interrupted. "He told me there is him and a woman looking for you and maybe three others along the coast. Meaning there could be a minimum of five people outside right now, scouring the sand for you!"  
  
"You went on a date to find THAT out?" he pulled a face.  
  
Kagome clenched her fists. "It might help us stay out their way. So if you hear anyone named Kikyo pass - run for your life."  
  
"Run where? And it's not like I ever get out." Inuyasha grumbled.  
  
Kagome relaxed a little. She didn't realise that she'd been so tense ever since Kouga had told her about Kikyo being Inuyasha's girlfriend, even though she'd known it had been a ridiculous notion. But she was still relieved to hear the proof that he hadn't reacted to her name. He'd probably never met her before, considering he'd managed to avoid women for how many years?  
  
She took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "Just give it time ok... Miroku's dropping by in a few days... by then you should have your sight back and I can take you out safely."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"My word..."  
  
"What?" Kagome looked anxiously between Inuyasha and Miroku. Sango stood behind Kagome, looking on in worry.  
  
"How on earth did you heal so fast?" Miroku asked Inuyasha.  
  
But Inuyasha's lips were pressed tightly together and he refused to speak. Miroku looked to Kagome for some help. So she answered in Inuyasha's place. "He's... a fast healer I suppose..."  
  
"Not even any scars." Miroku touched the other boy's shoulder slightly, as if testing the skin. Kagome saw Inuyasha's fists clench and cleared her throat in warning.  
  
Kagome glanced back at Sango who was clearly keeping out of the way. In truth Inuyasha seemed to make her nervous... plus the fact that she wasn't supposed to be here didn't help. She'd sneaked off with Miroku in his car without her father's permission to accompany her boyfriend to give the stranger a check-up. And she kept anxiously reminding Kagome that her mother wanted her back pretty soon and had to be wondering what Kagome was up to all on her own.  
  
"Are his eyes healing?" Kagome asked abruptly as Miroku seemed to wondering off the main situation since Inuyasha's healing ability awed him.  
  
"Oh yeah..." Miroku took out a penlight from his pocket and switched it on. "Look straight ahead."  
  
Kagome waited for Inuyasha to come up with a smart-assed come back to what Miroku had just said, but surprisingly his mouth stayed sealed. Though he didn't look like he was straining to see straight ahead.  
  
Miroku flashed the light in Inuyasha's left eye, then the right and frowned a little. Kagome didn't like the way he frowned. "What is it?"  
  
"It's like he's had a drink of pure menthol or something..." Miroku sighed.  
  
"In Lamen's terms, Einstein." Sango told him.  
  
"Can you see the light from the penlight?" Miroku asked.  
  
By the way Inuyasha frowned, Kagome didn't think he'd even known Miroku had been shining a penlight. "He can't see it."  
  
"What, are you a psychic?" Miroku looked at her. "Why can't he talk?"  
  
"He won't talk to you. You're a doctor." Kagome said simply, shooting Inuyasha a nervous look.  
  
"And...?" This clearly didn't cross Miroku's mind as something to shy away from.  
  
"He doesn't like doctors." Kagome shrugged. He hadn't told her why he didn't particularly like doctors yet, but now was not the time to ask. "So what's the prognosis with his eyes?"  
  
Miroku sighed sadly and waved his hand before Inuyasha's eyes. "He can't see light... and can't differentiate between light and dark even after two weeks. Most people suffering from retinal damage would have recovered at least that much if they were ever going to get their sight back."  
  
Kagome's blood froze. "What are you saying?"  
  
"I'm saying he's shown no sign of improvement... and after two weeks there will be no chance of recovery." He told her quietly. "I'm afraid this is going to be permanent."  
  
The silence that followed was practically painful. Miroku and Sango stared at Kagome who could only hear the sound of her rapid heartbeat pounding in her ears. Inuyasha's head dipped slightly... unnoticed.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: next chapter Kikyo enters and starts messing things up (no surprise there)) 


	8. Transmitting

Disclaimer: same as other chapters  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price of Freedom  
  
Transmitting  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Inuyasha hadn't spoken since Miroku and Sango had left to find a place to stay towards the centre of the town - mainly because Sango wanted easy access to shops. But by now, Kagome was starting to worry. Inuyasha was rarely silent.  
  
It just didn't feel healthy.  
  
Kagome's fingers nervously itched against her mug as her gaze flicked from the kitchen table to the shelves - basically anywhere other than Inuyasha. She wanted to break the silence but what was she supposed to say? This guy had just lost his sight permanently... some would think that was even worse than losing your life - Inuyasha struck her as one of those people.  
  
Suddenly his stool squeaked as he decided to get up. Kagome sprung to attention, and said probably the worse thing she could say in a situation like this. "You want some help getting-"  
  
"Just shut the fuck up!"  
  
Kagome fell silent instantly. Well, at least he had spoken.  
  
"You're so bloody needy and clingy - why don't you just jump off a cliff and die!" he snapped harshly.  
  
His words stung a little... after all... she was only worried for him and she felt a lump form in her throat. "God - you can't accept that you do actually need me do you?!"  
  
"Shut up Kagome!" he snarled.  
  
"No!"  
  
He spun suddenly and grabbed her by the shoulders roughly. Kagome emitted a frightened little squeak. "How about I just save you the trouble of having to use that ditzy brain of yours and throw you out of the window and the cliff all together by myself!"  
  
Kagome paled. "You don't know where the window is!"  
  
He turned them both abruptly so her back was to the kitchen window and started to lift her. She panicked and immediately lashed out with her hand, jabbing him hard in his side and kicked him hard in the crotch. He let out a shout of pain and dropped her sharply, falling down as well as her.  
  
Kagome backed up shakily against the cupboards under the sink and stared at him. "Are you crazy!"  
  
"I'm blind!"  
  
"Don't scare me like that!" she gripped her trembling hands to her knees and tried to swallow the shaky sob that rose in her throat, but she couldn't suppress it and she started to cry.  
  
Inuyasha's head shot up and he grappled to sit up. "What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm crying, you idiot!" she sniffled, closing her eyes and willing the tears away that only spilled freely down her face. "I-I try and be nice and you j-just throw it back in my face!"  
  
"Stop crying right now!" he ordered her tersely.  
  
"Then stop shouting at me!"  
  
"I'm not shouting!"  
  
"Yes you are!" she squeaked. "And you deliberately t-tried to scare me!"  
  
"Just stop crying!"  
  
"Bully!"  
  
"I'm sorry, ok - I'm sorry!" he looked flustered. "Just don't cry."  
  
Kagome hiccuped and the sobs subsided with shock that he was actually apologising to her. "You're sorry?"  
  
He nodded. "I'm just a little angry, I guess."  
  
Kagome smiled and moved over to embrace him in the biggest bear hug she could manage, glad that he didn't push her away. "Me too... but we'll cope, right?"  
  
He didn't answer, except he pulled away slightly and trailed a hand over her face. Kagome stared at him with confusion. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Memorising a face I'll never get to see."  
  
Kagome's eyebrows drew together and the pulled him back for another fierce hug. It wasn't like she could say 'don't worry, you'll see me one day' or 'it'll be ok', because that would just be lying pointlessly.  
  
She was just about to say something when he jolted away from her, crying out in pain. Kagome inched away. "What's wrong?!"  
  
Inuyasha grappled at his calf, eyes clenched in total pain, "My leg!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"It hurts.!" he gasped out.  
  
Quickly, Kagome pounced on him and shoved up the hem of his trousers to his knee. Immediately the problem was evident.  
  
Right under the light scar from that gunshot wound the flesh seemed to glow a bright, intermittent red. "What the hell is it?" she gasped, staring at him in stunned shock.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"We've got a signal." Kikyo stopped short on the street and gestured to Kouga who rolled his eyes at her.  
  
"You really should have tried this earlier you know." He berated her.  
  
"I get paid by the hour, do your own math." She said without looking up from the device in her hand. "Well... thankfully the transmitter hasn't been removed from the bullet wound yet."  
  
"You shot him with a transmitter?" Kouga looked incredulous.  
  
"Not just a pretty face, hm?" she turned slowly until the arrow was pointing toward the flashing red light.  
  
"Northwest - towards the coast."  
  
Towards Kagome's house, but Kouga said nothing, and diplomatically followed Kikyo as she started off at a brisk pace down the street.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"What do we do?!" Kagome shifted nervously as she looked down at Inuyasha from where he lay on the sofa, gripping the fabric beneath him, but keeping his mouth clamped shut on any scream of pain he could emit. He didn't answer probably because he didn't trust himself to speak normally.  
  
"Ok..." Kagome got down on her knees and took a closer look at his right leg. "It... it looks like a flashing red like deep under the skin... something's in there and it's healed over it."  
  
"The... bullet..." Inuyasha ground out.  
  
"But Miroku removed them with tweezers!" Kagome shook her head. "It's something else... unless... it was attached to the bullet and Miroku didn't know it was there so he just missed it or something!"  
  
"Kagome... shut up... and get it out..." he said with forced calm. "The whole of my right side... is seriously cramping up..."  
  
"How do I get it out?!" she yelped, jumping to her feet. "I'm not a surgeon!"  
  
"I can't do it!"  
  
"But you... claws and... cut - oh for heavens sake - I'll call Miroku!"  
  
"NO!" Inuyasha grabbed her wrist before she could run away and tugged her down so she fell on her knees. "By the time that blockhead gets here the others would have found me."  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's a transmitter you moron!" he gasped and pointed to his leg. "It's probably sending a signal right this minute - there are probably people from the institute racing towards this house right now - they could be bursting down the door any second!"  
  
"But-"  
  
"We can't wait for that doctor of yours! You have to get it out NOW before they find me!" he yelled.  
  
"But I can't cut you!" she screamed back, the mere thought of causing him pain was enough to send a prickle of perspiration along her forehead.  
  
"You have to! Cut me or they capture me!" he raised a hand to press against the side of his head like he had a migraine. "Please Kagome..."  
  
She stared at him, breathing hard and taking what he'd said into evaluation before nodding fervently. "Fine... ok... I-I'll get a scalpel."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome stood before him, scalpel braced in her hand and a little red in the cheeks. She was embarrassed that it had taken her almost a full hour to pick up the damn scalpel and now she was trying to force herself to contemplate cutting into Inuyasha's leg.  
  
"But we don't have any anaesthetic!" she wailed. "I'll hurt you!"  
  
"It hurts like I'm having a thousand knives rammed into my leg! One more won't bother me!" he was pressing the balls of his hands hard against his eyes. Kagome knew full well that the pain in his leg had been setting off a chain-reaction of pain during the past hour and not only did his leg hurt but his head as well, and apparently his eyes were giving him trouble too. And here she was standing there like a dodo while precious seconds ticked by. The enemy could be coming up the road right that minute.  
  
"Ok... ok... I can do this." She took a deep breath and sank to her knees beside him with her eyes closed.  
  
"DON'T DO IT WITH YOUR FUCKING EYES CLOSED!!!" Inuyasha burst out.  
  
"How did you know?!" she glared at him.  
  
"I could hear it!" he yelled. "Stop being a pussy and just do it! I don't mind!"  
  
"Well I do!" she inched the tip of the scalpel closer to the scar on his calf and bit her lip. She was saying a little prayer under her breath as she edged closer little by little until her hand rested on his leg beside the old wound and her other hand braced the blade millimetres above the skin.  
  
"On the count of three..." Inuyasha said slowly, beginning to pant. "One... two... three..."  
  
"Make it five - no wait - ten!"  
  
"Kagome!"  
  
"Ok, ok..." she closed her eyes and shook her head briefly before focusing her attention on his leg. "Let's count together."  
  
So they did. "One... two... three-"  
  
"NO, I can't do it!" she pulled back so quickly with a scream that made him groan.  
  
"Kagome! This'll be on your head if they find me!" he gasped out. "I thought you were going to protect me!"  
  
"I- I will..." she stammered. "Just give me a minute..."  
  
"Do it now Kagome! Or I'll haunt you until you die!"  
  
"Are you saying they would kill you?!"  
  
"YES!!! ANYTHING - JUST GET THE TRANSMITTER OUT MY FUCKING LEG!!!" he yelled.  
  
Kagome cringed and edged closer. "OK! But no yelling otherwise you'll put me off and I might chop your leg off."  
  
"Kagome..." he said warningly, but was cut off as a cold pain shot through his leg. It was nothing compared to the pain currently exploding behind his eyes, and he could swear he could see coloured lights flashing.  
  
"Stop moving!" Kagome warned, pulling a horrified face as she cut a little deeper. "And don't pull that face at me! I'm doing the best I can!"  
  
"It's not personal!" he ground out.  
  
Finally she managed to find the flashing miniature device in his leg. To her, it just looked like one of those tiny little SIM cards you found in phones - except it had a flashing red light and a copper electronic plate on the back. She pulled it out carefully, wincing as she heard him groan before pressing a tea towel firmly against the wound and held it up to look at it. "It's out!" she breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Destroy it then!"  
  
"It's too flat! I can't smashed it." She bit her lip and wiped the blood off it. She frowned when she saw the logo on the front beside the blinking red light. "Central Science Labs?"  
  
"Throw it away!"  
  
And she did... into the bin.  
  
"Kagome... unless the bin men come in the next five minutes then the signal will still be HERE!" he said patiently as he heard the metal lid of the bin snap shut.  
  
"Ah!!" Kagome threw the top off the bin and started to dig around for the red light - not a pleasant job. "What do I do with it?"  
  
"Use your imagination!"  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Kouga's eyes were firmly fixed on the approaching house on the horizon. The one where he knew Inuyasha and Kagome were lodging in. Kikyo's eyes were firmly glued to the little display screen in her handheld device as they walked up the road. She was oblivious to the approach of the house ahead of them.  
  
"Four hundred metres and closing." She informed him.  
  
Kouga nodded. They would find Inuyasha for sure now.  
  
Suddenly Kikyo stopped and held up a hand to halt him as well. "Wait... the signals on the move... it's heading straight toward us!" she glanced up ahead of them towards the house. "It's coming right at us!"  
  
Kouga narrowed his eyes... he couldn't see anything.  
  
Kikyo looked down at her green screen, the blinking red light approaching at amazing speed. "He's definitely alive... and very fast... three hundred metres and closing!"  
  
Kouga looked this way and that. There was still no Inuyasha.  
  
"One hundred yards and closing! He's picking up speed!" she lifted her head to check the ground. "He should be in sighting range!"  
  
Kouga clenched his fists and prepared to fight if need be.  
  
"Five metres!" Kikyo turned suddenly so she was facing the other way. "He's gone right past us..."  
  
Kouga looked back up the road before noticing something at the side of the road. A manhole. "The signal's underground."  
  
Kikyo looked at the manhole as well and sighed. "He's taken to the sewers." She lowered the device and clipped it onto her belt. "Well, at least we know he's alive for sure now. And he knows very well we're onto him. Come on Ookami."  
  
She started moving back the way they came. Kouga spared a glance back at the house to where the sewage lines must have connected to the structure. It hadn't clicked with Kikyo that the signal had started from that point.  
  
He shook his head and started after Kikyo again. What he didn't understand was that Inuyasha seemed to be remaining in one place. Common sense should have told that dog-turd that he needed to keep on the move if he was being pursued. A little girl couldn't hide him forever... unless... there was something going on between the two of them... something that would have prevented Inuyasha from moving on.  
  
Well... it would explain the many, many extra large condoms that Kagome had bought a little while ago...  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome entered the lounge again and dropped down beside Inuyasha, physically shaken and a cold sweat had broken out on her skin. "I flushed it down the toilet."  
  
"Good..." Inuyasha sighed and struggled to sit up. Kagome gave him a hand, though Inuyasha only shrugged her off. "That gives me a little more time."  
  
Kagome set her mouth. "You're talking like they will eventually find you. They won't. Not when you have me."  
  
"I'm not getting into this argument again..." he said quietly, rubbing his temples. "I forgive you this time... but only because I have a pounding headache."  
  
Kagome touched his cheek tenderly before heading off into the kitchen to fetch fresh bandages from the wound she'd created on his leg. At least that little fright had gotten his spirits up a bit.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: Yep! That's another chapter done. It's the weekend and it's raining so I've had a lot of time on my hands to catch up. Next chapter - 'Another Close Call' - and a bit of jealousy to stir up matters as well ^_^) 


	9. Another Close Call

Disclaimer: same as chapter one  
  
(A/N: Another chapter - and *Shock!!!* Inuyasha goes shopping!!)  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price of Freedom  
  
Another Close Call  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Another week, a few calls from certain worried parents, and 'pesky' doctors later, Kagome was considerably happier. Her holiday away from home had been extended again. She didn't have to go back to school or Tokyo for another three weeks... though she did have to worry what she was supposed to do about Inuyasha during the time she was at school.  
  
But thankfully, Inuyasha wasn't acting like a hopeless case anymore. She came into the kitchen one morning, fanning herself with a magazine and brushing her hair off her face. The air-conditioning unit was broken, and couldn't exactly pay anyone to come and fix it for them - so she was stuck with the more traditional magazine method. Inuyasha seemed less bothered about the heat... mainly because he didn't have to worry about wearing a shirt like she did.  
  
Which was probably the reason why she stumbled over her slippers as she entered the kitchen to find him shirtless, with his back to her, and reaching for a glass in the cupboard above his head - giving her a good show of flexing muscles. Her female instincts were quickly punctured as she saw what he was doing - and the motherly instincts kicked into play. "What are you doing?" she asked anxiously.  
  
"Getting a glass of water, haven't you noticed how hot it is?." He said, finally finding a glass. "And I ain't drinking from the toilet bowl just because it's safer."  
  
"I wasn't going to suggest it." She watched him with scrutiny, just waiting for him to drop and shatter it.  
  
He noticed her silence and knew she was staring at him again. "What?" he asked defensively as he moved over to the sink.  
  
"Nothing." She said tightly. But those glasses were expensive!  
  
"I won't drop it - oops!" he tossed the glass into the air deliberately and she squeaked and dived at it. Fortunately Inuyasha's hand caught it lazily before it had a chance to land in her out-stretched hands and he shook his head with a smile as he felt for the taps and filled the glass with water. "You should really relax you know."  
  
"I know..." she sighed and picked herself up off the floor and dusted herself down. Great... that little burst of activity had made her feel even hotter. "I'm going out on the porch... there's a draft out there."  
  
"I'll come with you."  
  
And he was ahead of her, his direction sure like he'd lived there his whole life. Kagome watched him move with a delighted little smile playing on her lips. At least he'd been growing to accept this disability over the last three weeks. He'd moved more surely and when they went for walks along the beach she had trouble keeping up with him sometimes. He'd never trip up or get frustrated anymore...  
  
"You seem happier." She commented casually as she took a seat beside him on the porch, leaning against the railing post beside her.  
  
"Well... it's like I know... you don't have to see something to know it's there." He said simply and took a deep breath. "Like even you don't have to see the wind to feel it and know it will always be there."  
  
"Ok... now you're freaking me out... you're getting all enlightened now." She smiled.  
  
"And I don't have to see your smile to know your smiling either." He turned his head toward her.  
  
For once she was glad he was blind otherwise he would have seen the amazing blush spread across her cheeks in two seconds flat... but then again he didn't have to be see her to know she was blushing too, right?  
  
He turned his face upwards towards the sun. "And I can still feel the sun's warmth... ow..." his hands clapped over his squinted eyes.  
  
"What's wrong?" Kagome was quick to panic.  
  
"It's alright... just my eyes hurting again." He shrugged.  
  
Kagome looked from him to the bright sky and then back at him again with a frown. "You didn't see any light did you...?"  
  
"Nah... they just hurt... they do that from time to time." He shook his head and stood up. "I better go inside."  
  
"Ok..." Kagome sounded unsure, but he was gone from sight without much delay.  
  
Amazingly, once he was back in the house, away from the glare of the sun, his eyes felt better. "Weird..."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"I was sure we had bread left..." Kagome mumbled as she tottered around the kitchen looking for the loaf she'd had out last night. "Inuyasha!"  
  
"I didn't do it!" he called back reflexively.  
  
"Did you eat the last of the bread?"  
  
"Oh - I did THAT!" he called back again.  
  
Kagome sighed and went to find if there was any rice left. Nope... and there wasn't much of anything else either - except for a load of marmite flavoured crisps, the ones Inuyasha hated. Personally... she quite liked them...  
  
"Damn... there's nothing else to do..." she slammed the cupboards shut and went into the living room to where Inuyasha was listening to the TV. "I'm going shopping - I'll be back in a while-"  
  
"Wait! You are not going out there without me." He stood up quickly.  
  
"Why? Because I'm too pathetic to take care of myself?" she smiled.  
  
"Because you might be having a secret date with Kouga, that's what." He sounded serious and the smile slipped from her face.  
  
"Still on about that, huh?"  
  
"You still smell of him." He wrinkled his nose.  
  
Kagome took a tentative sniff of her collar and pulled a face. "But I had a shower this morning."  
  
"Obviously... he's probably trying to mark you that bastard..." he growled, narrowing his eyes.  
  
"You should stop being so possessive." She tapped him on the nose to distract him and headed out of the room to get her jacket. "I haven't seen that guy for ages, and he's way too dull to date anyway. He's no fun."  
  
"I'm more fun." He suddenly blocked her exit out the house and Kagome was left wondering how the heck he'd managed to move so damn fast.  
  
"Insinuating something, Inuyasha?" she teased.  
  
"I'm going with you." He said simply.  
  
Kagome laughed. "Oh no you're not."  
  
"Oh but I am." He smirked.  
  
"But you're not! You can't!" she shifted her weight a little to her other leg, preparing herself for the typical argument. "The town is crowded - you'll get knocked over if you're blind - damn I can barely make it to the store myself without getting stepped on."  
  
"Well I'm bigger than you, people won't be able to get their feet high enough to step on me - and if they bump into me, who's going to fall over, me or him?"  
  
"You!"  
  
"No him!"  
  
"Inuyasha, it's too early to go prancing around town in your state, just give it time."  
  
"I don't trust you not to meet up with Ookami, besides, I'm bored and I have nothing else better to do than listen to the birds in the ceiling-"  
  
"There are birds in the ceiling?" Kagome looked upwards quickly.  
  
"And if I'm ever going to get out into the real world, I have to start sometime. I've never been to a town before, Kagome."  
  
She lowered her gaze from the roof to his face, and his unfocused, yet strangely focused eyes. "You want to go that bad?"  
  
"Yeah, why not?"  
  
Kagome sighed and took him by the hand. "Come on then - but don't you dare let go of my hand, I don't want to lose you, ok?"  
  
The stretch of road from the house to the town was fairly vacant of any other vehicle or people, but Kagome still kept a tight hold of his hand anyway, secretly marvelling in the protectiveness of his grip. Call her an old-fashioned gal, but she liked her men macho and protective. Even though Inuyasha could be a little over-protective at times.  
  
By the time they reached the bustling centre of the town after the long, LONG walk, Kagome was becoming increasingly impressed with Inuyasha's ability to cope with all the crowds. He didn't trip over, or bump into anyone, though his grip did tighten over her hand considerably when they walked up the steps in the town square across form the store. She could tell he was deliberately avoiding coming into contact with anyone else... he didn't like the physical touch at all from others. It made Kagome feel a little special to know she was the only one who could touch him without him flinching... only a little...  
  
"There's a step there... and we're here!" she released his hand at last as they entered the much less crowded and cooler store. He inhaled deeply and turned slowly.  
  
"I can smell food everywhere..." he said dreamily.  
  
"Yeah, and I can get you anything you want here either." She smiled, walking off in the direction of the sweet section, Inuyasha trailed after her voice automatically.  
  
"Even the little cakes with the scream and jam in the middle?" he asked hopefully.  
  
"Miniature sponge cakes? Sure!" she turned the corner of an aisle and spotted someone familiar up ahead walking with someone else equally familiar. "Sango! Miroku!"  
  
Both youths whirled at the sound of her voice and waved happily. Sango instantly went to greet her. "Kagome! Fancy meeting you here... and you brought your friend too?!"  
  
Inuyasha remembered Sango from before... and remembered Miroku was that doctor guy.  
  
"We were running short of food, so we had to go shopping. Inuyasha insisted on making sure I was alright here." She winked and mouthed a little extra. "Jealous."  
  
"Was not!" Inuyasha had somehow heard her faintest of whispers and she rolled her eyes at him.  
  
"I believe you now... where... oh! I forgot to get a basket from the entrance - Sango, could you just hold onto Inuyasha for me?" Sango didn't have much of a time space to object as Kagome ran back towards the entrance. She looked up at Inuyasha who seemed to be followed his nose to a Yoghurt stand. She glanced towards Miroku who shrugged.  
  
"So Inuyasha..." Sango followed him tensely. "Don't you have parents who're worried about you yet?"  
  
"Um..." he felt along the shelf until he found yoghurt he liked the smell of. "I guess... but they're probably all dead by now."  
  
Sango stared at him. "All of them?"  
  
"Well... two of them were dogs... bitches I think... they didn't get to stick around much longer after I was born." He put the yoghurt back, deciding he didn't like the smell after all and went in search of digestive biscuits.  
  
Sango gaped after him in shock before hurrying to Miroku. "Ok, that guy has serious dysfunctional family problems. Obviously his mother had a lesbian lover and I don't think he can think much of them if he called them bitches... poor guy... and blind to top it all off."  
  
Miroku's turn to now stare at Sango. But she hurried on after Inuyasha before she lost sight of him.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome was having a lot more trouble finding the baskets than she normally did, because for a start they had been moved. She spent a couple of minutes checking around the entrance before finally discovering that they had been situated outside the sliding doors. Which meant that she had to go all the way around to the exit and then back to the entrance to be able to open the doors and get a basket again.  
  
Imagine if she was Inuyasha and she had to go shopping as well. The world was a nightmare if you could see anything at all.  
  
But she did spot something... and partially wished that she was blind too so she could just ignore him. But he spotted her before she could hurry off. "Hey Kagome."  
  
"Hey Kouga..." this was bad. He was heading towards the store, like he was aiming to go shopping. If he went inside and spotted Inuyasha then all her efforts to keep him safe would be blown to hell and back. "You shopping."  
  
"Yeah." He stopped beside her and only then did she realise that he'd kinda been walking with someone else for a change. A young woman, slightly older than herself and she looked like the person Kagome saw in the mirror every morning... but not as rough around the edges. The woman slipped past them both and entered the store with a basket in her arm. By the way Kouga seemed to ignore the other woman's presence, Kagome figured that they hadn't been together after all.  
  
So all she had to do was stall Kouga and if possible get him away from the stall. "Found your friend yet?"  
  
"Nope. But I'm willing to wait around for a while. I've got a place in a hotel up the street with a friend, hopefully we'll find him eventually."  
  
"Great." Damn... so he was settling in for a long stay then...  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Where's the bread then?" Sango wondered as they three wondered down an aisle.  
  
"Over there." Inuyasha pointed and pulled ahead of them. Sango just let him go as he obviously knew his way around the store better than she did.  
  
A woman walked past her and Miroku and for a second Sango opened her mouth to call her Kagome... before she realised that she was wearing different clothes from Kagome and her hair was pinned up. She shut her mouth quickly, glad that she hadn't managed to embarrass herself just yet.  
  
The woman carried on past the bread aisle to the tills, seconds before Inuyasha emerged from that same bread aisle heading towards them with a loaf in his hands. "I think I got the brown type."  
  
Sango checked. "Nope, that's white, but there's not much difference, let me tell you." She caught Kagome coming towards them in the corner of her eyes and waved. "Over here Kagome!"  
  
"God... I never thought I'd get rid of that oaf." Kagome huffed as she reached them.  
  
"Who?" Inuyasha frowned.  
  
"Kouga, that's who." She folded her arms crossly before realising something. "Ah! And I forget to get a basket thanks to him!"  
  
"What did he want?" Inuyasha growled.  
  
Kagome glanced up at him before sighing. "It was nothing like that..."  
  
"Wanna bet?" he could tell she was flustered, either due to being agitated or being kissed he wasn't sure. But the smell of Kouga lingered around her and he didn't like it. Nothing of Kouga should even dare to touch his Kagome. Kagome was his saviour... Kouga could get someone else for himself.  
  
"Don't start getting all paranoid again." Kagome ground out. "I am not in the mood."  
  
"Always in the mood for him though!" he snapped.  
  
Kagome narrowed her eyes dangerously as Miroku and Sango quickly found the cheese wrack very interesting. "You have a problem, you know that? Did you get a giant chip on the shoulder from that grenade?"  
  
"Oh yeah, let's all poke fun at the blind guy!" he growled.  
  
"You really are blind you know! Because you simply refuse to see that I do not like Kouga as much as you think! I give you one little kiss and you act like you own me! You need to relax a little." She hissed.  
  
"One little kiss - Kagome - you stole my first kiss!" he half shouted.  
  
"Could you say that a little louder?! I don't think Miroku and Sango quite heard you!" she gasped.  
  
"Oh we heard." Miroku nodded quickly, but Sango elbowed him.  
  
Kagome ran her hands through her hair. "I wouldn't even barely call that a kiss! For god's sakes - that's how I kiss my grandfather. A proper kiss is totally different!"  
  
"Yeah? Show me!"  
  
Kagome didn't quite think that Inuyasha knew what he was leading himself into, and she glanced quickly at Sango and Miroku who were now openly staring at them. But as soon as they noticed Kagome's glare that scuttled off around the corner. Kagome just shook her head. "I can't show you what a real kiss is." She told him sternly.  
  
"Why not?" he growled.  
  
"Because that would be a REAL kiss, wouldn't it?!" she clenched her fists in an effort to keep her voice calm.  
  
He smirked at her. "Would that not be allowed? Seeing as Kouga is the only one you kiss?"  
  
She clenched her teeth together for a moment before sighing. "I don't kiss Kouga, Inuyasha."  
  
"Then kiss me and prove it!"  
  
Kagome just stared at him, half torn between shock and a total surge of butterflies through her system. "You can't just ASK someone to kiss you!"  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"It's just not normal!"  
  
"I'M not normal Kagome." He pointed out.  
  
"You really sure you want me to take your very first proper kiss?" she twiddled her fingers. She would really love to actually...  
  
"It's just a kiss." He shrugged.  
  
Of course... he wouldn't really understand the implications of a proper kiss if he'd never seen anyone kiss before. He was just so naïve... and she felt like a total tramp for being more knowledgeable than a guy for once.  
  
"A kiss, Inuyasha, is something two very intimately involved people share when they... like... each other..." she said, fidgeting nervously. "You can't just PRACTISE kissing like it's nothing."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Kagome cursed the person who had ever taught him the word 'why'. "Because... it would make people think..."  
  
"Think what?"  
  
Also cursing the person who had taught him 'what' as well.  
  
"That we're involved... cause we're not."  
  
"That's just an excuse, and you're full of them." He narrowed his eyes slightly.  
  
"Ok, I'll show you later - just not in such a public place..." she trailed off quietly.  
  
"Ok."  
  
And hopefully he would eventually forget.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
By nightfall Kouga and Kikyo had made the journey across the waters to the little island off the coast. Not something they'd both enjoyed considering they'd had to bear each other's company for a while, alone, and together. And they dreaded coming up before Mr Naraku as usual, empty-handed with nothing but pathetic excuses to hide behind.  
  
"This is all your fault." Kikyo hissed to Kouga as they followed the guard through the corridors to Naraku's office.  
  
Kouga had to raise his voice over a particularly loud scream that rattled through the corridors from somewhere else in the base. "How did you figured that?"  
  
"If you hadn't been flirting with that little bimbo and kept your mind on the job then we might have found him by now."  
  
"Oh sure..." he rolled his eyes but quickly shut up as Naraku's door came into view.  
  
They stepped into the much darker and minimalist room and carefully arranged themselves so they stood side by side before the long desk at the other end of the room that was set before sliding glass doors. Kouga reckoned it was so that if there were ever any problems, Naraku would always have an escape route behind him.  
  
Typical.  
  
"So you're empty handed." He turned slowly in his revolving chair, doing a very good impression of a James Bond villain minus the fluffy white cat. "And what, pray tell, have you got to say for yourselves this time?"  
  
Kouga opened his mouth to lie blandly but Kikyo was too quick. "It was Kouga's fault." She glared at him.  
  
Naraku's glare flickered briefly on the young woman before turning on Kouga. "Oh?"  
  
"He's been dallying with a girl in the coastal town." Kikyo supplied helpfully.  
  
"Indeed." Naraku probably wasn't even listening to her because he continued to glare at Kouga like he was a filthy little cretin. Kouga didn't even bother glaring back. "Who is this girl?"  
  
"Just... Kagome Higurashi... on holiday... staying in a house above the shore." He said casually, trying to drop the subject for all.  
  
"On the coast, eh?" Naraku's leaned forward on his elbows and clasped his hands under his chin. "Staying with her family?"  
  
"No..."  
  
"Staying with anyone else?"  
  
"Yes." He couldn't lie. Seriously.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"A male friend."  
  
"And how do you know that?" Naraku narrowed his eyes at the half-wolf and Kikyo slanted him a confused look.  
  
"I met her while she out shopping for male accessories." He said, his eyes on the floor. "I assume it is not her family because..." he mumbled the last part.  
  
"Sorry? Didn't catch that?" Naraku said with false pleasantry.  
  
"I assume he was not of her family because she seemed to have been stocking up on..." he fought for the right word to come out. "Condoms."  
  
Kikyo snorted and Naraku just looked amused.  
  
"I see..." he folded his arms at the two employees. "It seems our little Inu friend has acquired a little woman... and doesn't appear to be wasting much time on the whole freedom idea."  
  
Kouga's face remained neutral.  
  
"Have you seen her male friend?" Naraku asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"So it could be Inuyasha. She's keeping him from you deliberately."  
  
Kouga just nodded.  
  
Naraku stood quickly and headed out the office. "I'll mobilise a squadron to go search out this girl's house. I expect you to lead Kouga."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: Next chapter - 'Sight Seeing'.) 


	10. Sight Seeing

Disclaimer: I don't own much else than my very own wacky ideas - which you can't steal! But I only borrow the characters from Inuyasha - they've already sold their souls and the acting careers to Rumiko Takahashi.  
  
(A/N: Wow... over 200 reviews... I think I'll go faint now - actually - better not! I still have to write this chapter ^_^)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price of Freedom  
  
Sight Seeing  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome found Inuyasha sitting on the porch the next morning, holding a hand up to shield his eyes from the intense sun. she reckoned that he was just trying to look cool.  
  
"Sun hurting your eyes again?" she guessed.  
  
He started at the sound of her voice that came unexpected. "Uh... yeah..." he removed his hand but it was no use... he could still see it...  
  
Kagome frowned as Inuyasha squinted up at the sky. "You ok?"  
  
"I'm fine. Can I have a sandwich please?" he asked quickly.  
  
Feeling as if she were being told to go do her homework by her mother when her parents wanted to 'talk', she frowned some more and headed off inside.  
  
Inuyasha busily waved a hand in front of his eyes as he peered upwards, and noted the definite break in the light before him. Before all he'd been able to see was black... but now... when he was out in the sun, that black lightened several shades to grey. He didn't quite understand, but it felt like his mind was playing tricks on him again.  
  
Kagome came back with his food and smiled as she sat down next to him. He turned to face her and started when he saw a black smudged shadow of something against all the grey. "I got your sandwich... it's chicken... that ok?"  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"You seem quiet this morning." She cocked her head. "I heard you up all of last night. Couldn't sleep?"  
  
He'd been staring at the ceiling from his bed... staring at the three specks of light grey he'd seen above his head. "Kagome... how many bulbs do I have in the light in my room?"  
  
"In MY room, I think you mean." She corrected him. "Four."  
  
"I think one's gone out then." He said simply and she gave him a suspicious look.  
  
"Ok, Mr Bimble, I'm going to take a shower and I think you should take a nap, ok?" she said slowly and went back inside.  
  
Of course she got side-tracked and ended up pottering around the house for almost an hour before actually going in the bathroom, and by then, Inuyasha was seriously beginning to question his mental health. Slowly things were beginning to take form around him. And from a point when he could only see shadow forms, twenty minutes later he could vaguely see different tones of grey and sometimes detail. It was all getting a little strange... everything was in black and white... and still on the dark side of the scale... but he could actually see things vaguely.  
  
He walked through the kitchen, aiming for the hall, but stumbled over something underfoot. He looked down and saw a black blob on the ground. He crouched down to get a closer look and slowly picked it up, turning it over in his hands. It was a book... a big heavy black one... and he could actually see the difference in the cover and the pages within it.  
  
He dropped it hurriedly and decided that there must be something in his eyes - so he went to go wash it out and barged into the bathroom, forgetting that Kagome was STILL in there.  
  
"Ah! Inuyasha!" Kagome froze, halfway reaching for her towel as she got out the bath. "Ever heard of knocking?"  
  
Inuyasha could only stare helplessly. Kagome was stood completely naked before him and acting as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Granted, he couldn't really see much detail... but he could see the basic shape, and suddenly the steam in the bathroom became that much hotter. "Damn it's a good thing you're blind." She mumbled, finally wrapping a towel around herself - making Inuyasha remember to divert his gaze elsewhere.  
  
"Sorry..." he muttered quickly.  
  
"It's all right - I should have locked the door." She smiled placidly and brushed past him on her way out.  
  
Once she was gone Inuyasha fanned his extremely hot face and went to the sink. He splashed cold water over his eyes and rubbed furiously, as if trying to clean the dirt off them. But when he looked back up into the mirror he found himself facing a grey blob, with a big white blob of hair around it - his face. No detail... just smudges of grey.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
His eyes were playing tricks on him. He was sure. But then how had he known that Kagome had just stolen one of his biscuits.  
  
They were sitting on the sofa, huddled together with a plate of biscuits and one of those horror movies playing on the TV - one that Kagome was having to explain to Inuyasha every few minutes. It spoiled the mood, but there you go.  
  
The air conditioning wasn't the only thing that had broken - but the central heating, which was connected to it, had also gone bust. And although it had been hot during the day - it could get very cold at night and ever since Inuyasha had inadvertently broken the front door, it could get very draughty in the house.  
  
"Inuyasha... your elbow is in my ribs." She complained while trying to discreetly grab one of his precious biscuits for later - he could get very possessive about them.  
  
"Well it's your fault for having your ribs there." He grumbled as he moved his arm slightly. He was certain he's seen the grey shadow of her arm snake over silently to his plate. "Enjoying your biscuit?"  
  
She stiffened. "Sorry... it's just that... I like them too... and you never let me have one..." she apologised.  
  
"Give it back!"  
  
She licked it quickly. "No." and grinned at him.  
  
That didn't seem to bother Inuyasha much because he snatched it back and stuffed it in his mouth, looking smug. Kagome gaped at him for a moment before grabbing for another cookie. Inuyasha quickly picked it up and held it aloft and out of her reach.  
  
"That's so not fair!" she scrambled onto her knees on the sofa to reach for the plate but he only leaned back and held the plate far over the arm rest. She was yet to be defeated and leaned with him, blatantly unaware of the fact that she had to press against his chest to do so.  
  
But Inuyasha was definitely aware. And at this proximity he was sure he could see what could be her nose.  
  
"Kagome..."  
  
"Inuyasha - give me a cookie!" she giggled as he remained to hold them out of her reach.  
  
"Kiss me properly."  
  
She froze at his statement and suddenly shied away to the other end of the sofa, her cheeks heating up like hotplates. "W-what?"  
  
"You said you'd show me properly when we weren't in public." He gestured around them. "This isn't public."  
  
She had been really hoping that he'd have forgotten. "I was just joking."  
  
"It sounded serious to me." He pouted, folding his arms broodily.  
  
Kagome was at a loss. "But... but I've never actually kissed anyone before..."  
  
"You kissed me before."  
  
"But not properly - and it wasn't like it was serious - proper kissing IS serious." She wrung her hands. "It's not something you can just do because you feel like it... well... it is... but that's not the point!"  
  
"You're still making excuses." And he knew the perfect way to make her feel guilty. "It's because I'm blind isn't it? You don't want to be with a cripple."  
  
"Inuyasha! You know that's not true!" she snapped angrily. "I would never think that!"  
  
"Then prove it." He smirked lazily at her. "Or are you chicken?"  
  
"I'm very much chicken." She turned away from him and he took the brief opportunity to focus on her face, noticing that the details were slowly creeping more into proportion.  
  
"Then I have no choice but the believe you are racist... no... sexist... um... I can't remember the word."  
  
"I'm NOT prejudice!" she exclaimed indignantly.  
  
"I never said you were PREJUDICE!" he said truthfully.  
  
Kagome was reaching the end of her tether. "Ok... but if I do this... you have to... stop bugging me about it, ok?"  
  
"Ok." He nodded.  
  
Kagome inched up the sofa towards him, feeling like her insides were on high vibrate like her mobile phone. She edged a little closer before she was sitting right next to him and watching his face intently. "Ok... and now we kiss properly." She leaned in... and pecked him on the cheek.  
  
He gave her a flat look with actually looking at her. "Proper kiss, my ass."  
  
"No thanks. I'd much rather proper kiss your cheek." She quipped before trying to shuffle away again.  
  
Inuyasha stopped her effectively with his arm around her waist and sighed. "Am I really that ugly?"  
  
Everything inside her screamed 'WHY THE HELL WOULD HE THINK THAT?' Had he never seen a mirror? "You're not... ugly."  
  
"Don't force yourself."  
  
"I wouldn't have to force myself to kiss you... it's just that..." she fiddled with the hem of her sleeves. "I've never done it before... I'm more likely to get it wrong than you."  
  
"Then let's try it together." He prodded. "What's the worst that could happen.  
  
Well... the roof could fall in... the sofa could collapse... her mother might come charging through the door at that precise blessed moment - or even worse - the bad people from Inuyasha's institute. All those answers were on the tip of her tongue, but she'd suddenly been struck silent as she could have sworn Inuyasha's gaze locked with hers for the very first time.  
  
It had to have been a fluke... but what did it matter... she couldn't bring herself to turn away. And it was like a magnetic pull for both of them as they leaned closer to one another as if they were being pulled by together by strings. Kagome's lips met Inuyasha's softly and tenderly... much more purposefully than the last time she'd tried it... and both their eyes drifted shut.  
  
For a few moments they just remained like that, just kissing chastely, until Inuyasha tilted his head slightly, as if he'd been doing it for years, and pressed against her lips even deeper. Kagome simply gave under the firm pressure instantly and her mouth slipped open slightly, practically inviting his tongue in.  
  
But instead it turned out to be Kagome who took the dominant hand in the kiss, running her hands to lodge in his hair to pull him closer. Inuyasha was a little stunned for a moment to respond before his hands finally rose to rest on her shoulders and slipped his own tongue against hers in response.  
  
Almost at once an electric like thrill shot through Kagome's arms to the pit of her stomach and beyond. It felt way too good to be decent and even though she wanted nothing more than to continue, but it was starting to get a little intense as the kiss took on a more passionate and aggressive fashion and even though she wasn't being overwhelmed by him, she knew she had to stop.  
  
"That's enough." She pushed against his chest, making him pull back reluctantly. She sat back, panting, and pressing a delicate little hand to her heart to steady it. "So THAT'S a proper kiss... what do you think?"  
  
"Mm... it's ok." He said with a shrug.  
  
Kagome's eyes flashed on him dangerously. "Just 'ok'? How about brilliant! How about window shatteringly and earth movingly brilliant?" It had felt that way for her.  
  
"My, someone has a high opinion of herself." He grinned boyishly at her and tugged her against his side with his arm around her waist. "You were great. It was better than I thought."  
  
She'd settle for that... grudgingly.  
  
"So what did we miss?" he turned his attention back to the TV set.  
  
"Um... oh... the killer seems to have been resurrected - and that girl screaming is-"  
  
"Connie?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Inuyasha woke slowly the next morning, and winced at the awkward position he was in on the sofa. Kagome was still in the same position, sitting beside him, half draped across his chest with her head on his shoulder.  
  
But that didn't really bother him much because something much more pressing was happening. He could see. Everything and anything. Even in colour... it still looked a little grey around the edges, but it was all, nearly as it should have been.  
  
Immediately he looked down at Kagome, eager to see what she looked like. And boy did she look rough in the morning. But even that didn't lessen her overall appearance. She had perfect skin... completely flawless like she'd never seen a pimple in her life and the silkiest black hair that he'd ever seen with an almost electric blue tinge to it. Her two perfect full lips were parted slightly in sleep and long lashes cloaked her eyes.  
  
Heck... if she was plain then what was he supposed to consider a pure vision of beauty? Because he thought the vision of beauty was sleeping on his shoulder at that precise moment.  
  
He took a moment to turn his head to look around the room and frowned. The walls were painted lavender purple... and he'd always thought they'd been white. But then again... white walls were all he'd ever seen.  
  
Then he saw the window and he suddenly scrambled off the sofa in a hurry to reach it. Kagome woke with a snort and took a few moments to rouse herself, after snuggling down slightly to the warm spot where Inuyasha had been.  
  
But Inuyasha was busy looking outside. He could see daylight... he could actually see the sun and everything beneath it. It was like a totally different reality. He turned back to look at Kagome who was slowly beginning to sit up on the sofa with a wide yawn. She looked adorable in his eyes... and so damn small compared to the other men he'd ever seen.  
  
"Mornin'." She said as she vaguely spotted him across the room. "S'time?"  
  
"I don't know." He answered, much more alert and awake than she was.  
  
Suddenly the thought struck him that this would change everything. His relationship with Kagome was one... and the other was now that he could see, he would have to leave her... for good... and keep running from his past.  
  
So the moment her morning fuzzed-up eyes focused more clearly on him, he half-closed his eyes and stared into space like he normally would have done. He didn't want things to change.  
  
"I bet my hairs a mess," she said with a smile and pushed herself up off the sofa to stand. "Better go get washed up then..."  
  
"I'll go make myself a drink." He said, still half in a state of shock.  
  
"You do that... but don't go dropping anything, ok?"  
  
He wouldn't drop or trip over anything again in his LIFE now.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"You know, you're acting awfully strange today. Is there something wrong?"  
  
After feeling like he's been living in a small dark room for three weeks, he felt terribly agoraphobic all of a sudden. "I'm fine. You?"  
  
"I'm fine, Inuyasha." She frowned at him, and he saw how it delicately created little furrows between her eyebrows, making her look more concerned than angry.  
  
She picked up her plate that she'd been eating off for supper and moved off into the kitchen. Inuyasha watched her go intently, not being able to take enough of her in. Then... just as she reached the kitchen sink and began to wash up... a little red dot appeared from nowhere and zipped to hover to the side of Kagome's head.  
  
Inuyasha had seen that little red dot too many times to not know what it was. "KAGOME! DUCK!"  
  
"What?" she looked up with alarm but was knocked flying by Inuyasha before she could say much else.  
  
Suddenly a seriously of thundering bangs cracked through the air and the glass from the kitchen window shattered and covered both their bodies with tiny little fragments. Kagome screamed and ducked down further under Inuyasha as the machine gun sound continued and holes started to line up along the opposite wall from the window.  
  
Eventually it finally stopped and Kagome gaped at Inuyasha as his eyes snapped to hers and she realised what was happening. "You can see..."  
  
There wasn't much time to answer as they both heard a crunch of wood as the already half broken door was forced open. Inuyasha realised at once that they'd finally found him and grabbed Kagome before tossing her over his shoulder. She held onto her petrified squeak as he shot through the house and straight towards the French glass doors of the living room. "No! Inuyasha! NO!"  
  
But he ignored her and plunged straight through them, shattering the glass around them. It took him a few moments to regain his balance after a stunt like that before plunging on through the darkness. He heard shouts behind him as the military folk saw them making their escape.  
  
"They're gaining on us!" Kagome screamed.  
  
And they were straight ahead, as well, blocking off their escape into the forest completely - so the only other way was over the cliff. He changed his trajectory immediately and Kagome gripped him more tightly as he sped up and lunged off the top off the cliff and started to fall. She just waited for the horrid impact of crushing bones on jagged rocks... yet amazingly it never came. There was a slightly heavy impact of a thud on the sand and Inuyasha momentarily teetered precariously, probably unused to her added weight before he was off again.  
  
Kagome couldn't believe that they were actually getting away so easily - there was no one following them at all. But Inuyasha knew better and he could see the shadow flitting along the top of the cliff, matching his pace, if not pulling ahead a little. Any moment now and he'd be cut off completely from his escape.  
  
And the moment Kouga landed effortlessly before him he was forced into a skidding halt. He dropped Kagome rather suddenly and shoved her behind him protectively.  
  
"You won't get away again, Inu." Kouga said coldly. He was without any kind of firearm, but he didn't need them to stop Inuyasha.  
  
"You can't stop me... you'll have to kill."  
  
"Cut that noble crap, I know you don't mean it." Kouga hissed.  
  
"If you send me back then you are only imprisoning yourself." Inuyasha lunged at him angrily and swiped with his claws. Kagome squeaked as she dove out of the way as Kouga slid under the outstretched arm with amazing speed. "You only stop me because you can't escape yourself!"  
  
"If I can't go then you can't either!"  
  
"I can and I will!" Inuyasha snarled and was about to lunge before Kagome yelled them to a stop.  
  
"Quit it!" she screamed and threw herself between the two of them, effectively stopping them in their tracks. She turned to Kouga. "Let him go... please, Kouga..."  
  
"Don't plead for me, Kagome-"  
  
"Shut up!" she whirled on Inuyasha, angry at him for some unknown reason. She turned back to Kouga with a softer tone. "I know all about who you are Kouga... if you let Inuyasha go... then you can escape too?"  
  
"I can't ever escape." Kouga hissed venomously. "A so called 'improvement'."  
  
"What?" Kagome was just confused.  
  
"He has to obey the leader's command no matter what. He can only leave when they give him permission. And he had to return if they tell him too." Inuyasha replied spitefully. "Just a fucking lapdog to them!"  
  
"And you're a fucking mongrel!"  
  
"Stop it!" Kagome waved her arms again to cut them both off. "Kouga you can't turn Inuyasha in... please... don't stop him... if you can't be free than at least let him be free...?"  
  
Kouga glanced at her, his eyes furious. "Fine... but next time we meet I might not let you off, Inu."  
  
"Like I'd need you to." Inuyasha retorted, while Kagome shot him a warning glare.  
  
"You won't tell them?" she called after Kouga as he jogged away.  
  
"Not unless they ask." He called over his shoulder.  
  
They both waited until he was gone completely from sight before trusting enough to turn back to each other. "That was a-"  
  
"Inuyasha - you've been lying to me!" she hissed, interrupting him in a livid temper.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You've been leading me to believe that you were blind! But you could see all along!" she was close to tears. She'd really trusted him not to lie to her.  
  
"Well... not all along!"  
  
"So you admit you lied?!"  
  
"Not all the time!" he protested in defence.  
  
"How can I believe you?!" she frowned and drew away from him. "All those times that I thought it was private for me... in the bathroom - when you walked in - you could see me, couldn't you?!"  
  
"Well...  
  
"Couldn't you?!"  
  
"Yes." He said flatly. Like being scolded by a mother. But then memory served him right for once and his anger sparked a little. "And what about you?! You lied to me as well!"  
  
"When?"  
  
"When you said you were plain - you lied about that."  
  
"That's hardly something to get mad about!"  
  
"And neither is being blind - aren't you happy I can see again?!" he scowled at her.  
  
"I'm ecstatic! But you still lied!" she snapped.  
  
"Do you know why?!" he snarled. "Because every minute of every day while I was blind I sometimes swore that I could see things - but it was always just my mind playing up on me - making me think I saw things when there really was nothing! And when I started to see again I thought it was just another trick!"  
  
"And instead of telling me you led me to believe that you were still blind and needed me?!" she huffed. "You could have left by now and then those people would never have attacked the house and almost shot me with a machine gun!"  
  
"You wanted me to leave?" he was genuinely hurt, but he tried to keep it schooled away.  
  
"At least I would be safer!" she admitted harshly.  
  
Almost at once that same emotional barrier he'd been using for most of his life slammed back into place, locked down and padlocked all over again. "Fine! If that's the way you want it then I'll go! You'll never have to see me again! Happy?"  
  
He started to storm away, and Kagome was left momentarily speechless. She was about to yell 'wait' when her stupid pride got the better of her. "Fine! I never want to see you again you lying toe-rag!"  
  
"I'm scorned, bitch!" he snarled back.  
  
"Go to hell!"  
  
"Been there - I'm not going back!" he yelled. "Don't expect me to ever see you again!"  
  
"I won't!"  
  
"Don't wait up for me!"  
  
"I shan't!"  
  
"Goodbye Kagome!"  
  
"Piss off!"  
  
He eventually disappeared from sight around the edge of a cliff face and she stood strong for a while, glaring after him with a passion. Until it all crumpled in on itself as she collapsed onto the sand, and began to sob her heart out.  
  
She hadn't meant it... she'd just been frightened and angry that he'd just lied to her... she didn't want him gone forever.  
  
"What're you crying for?!" Inuyasha yelled from above her, up the cliff.  
  
"Oh shove off and go screw a squirrel!" she yelled back at once.  
  
"Bitch!"  
  
And that was it. He was gone, and she didn't see him again.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: Next chapter - 'Needing Help' ^_^) 


	11. Needing Help

Disclaimer: don't own Inuyasha.  
  
(A/N: my computers crashed completely! AHHHH! So now I have to use my sisters computer which is connected in the network to mine... which is slightly strange and really unfamiliar... I don't like uploading on different computers because my Sis always finds out and gives me stick. Never mind - here's the newest chapter - sorry about the wait!)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price of Freedom  
  
Needing Help  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A whole two days later, and finally Kagome had the courage to go back to the house. Sango came along with her for support... and to act as a human shield if need be... but fortunately, the military people had all gone by then. They walked up the drive in silence and slowly assessed the damage.  
  
"Oh god... mom is going to kill me..." Kagome muttered as they stepped through the completely demolished front door and looked around. Nothing in the house itself appeared to be broken - it was all just out of place or knocked over. The kitchen was in a much worse state, because not only was the window broken, but little bullet holes lined the walls and there was blood on the floor where she'd fallen with Inuyasha. Only then did she realise he must have been injured by the little shards of glass... and great... now she felt guilty.  
  
"Kagome!" Sango called from the living room and Kagome entered and winced.  
  
"Oh yeah..." the French doors were completely shattered, and now everything in the room was damp. "Mom is going to torture me first I think... then throw me off a cliff into the ocean so no one will ever find me..."  
  
"It's not that bad..." Sango shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"Not bad?!" Kagome whirled on her. "There is an original print painting in the kitchen which now has three bullets through the canvas - each one taking six thousand yen of its worth!"  
  
"What're you yelling at me for?! I didn't do this?!" Sango snapped back quickly. "Why would I tell a bunch of army guys that there were terrorists here?!"  
  
Kagome quieted at once. That was the story she'd told to everyone who asked about the incident in the house. It was simply a misunderstanding that the special forces had thought that there were drug dealers in her house... a total, fairly obvious lie that should have been too strange to believe - but then again, being attacked in the dead of night by swat men was a bit odd as well.  
  
"How am I gonna sort this out?" Kagome sighed as she kicked at the broken glass on the carpet.  
  
"Well..." Sango thought slowly. "I know a couple of guys who can help you. There's Hisato... he's a handy man in the floor above us - great guy - he'd do it for free! And the windows... um... Hitaso might know some people who can help."  
  
"Great..." Kagome said wearily and headed back into the kitchen to salvage any food that was left. She crouched before the fridge and rolled her eyes when she saw everything tasty had been taken. Obviously shooting bullets at girls was hard work... of course those poor men had needed a snack.  
  
She straightened, and she checked the flowers that were arranged beside the window. They were the owners pride and joy and very expensive and fortunately... it didn't look too badly damaged. Kagome sighed with relief... she would certainly be on the death penalty if a single leaf had been damaged.  
  
Almost out of reflex she leaned over and checked the one of the large leaves to make sure there were no holes in it. She turned it over and froze quickly.  
  
Sango chose that moment to enter. "I checked the bedrooms - one of the beds is broken in half and the carpets a bit muddy but... you ok...?"  
  
Kagome stared down at the little black plastic and metal thing that had been stuck to the underside of the leaf. She didn't have to be some whiz secret agent to know what it was. Kagome turned back to Sango at once. "I think we should probably look around some more... make sure everything's ok."  
  
And so they did. And in every single room besides the cupboards, closets and bathrooms, there was a bug - the listening kind.  
  
At least she was sure now that Inuyasha hadn't been making up all that crap about government agencies.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Hey you!"  
  
Inuyasha's cheek ticked slightly with annoyance. He turned slowly and glared down at the little man who ran up to him. "Aren't you the guy on posters?"  
  
That annoyance quickly transformed into worry. He smirked and waved a hand like he'd heard it all before. "I've had this twice this morning already - I mean, I look nothing like that guy!" he gestured to the wall of the building beside him on the street where the wanted posters had all been tacked up. "Talk about that weird hair - they're looking for a fifty year old man - not me."  
  
The little man scowled at him suspiciously. Inuyasha glanced at the posters beside him briefly. No wonder everyone was so eager to catch him. The reward was for more money than he'd ever seen or could even imagine.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Do I look like an old man to you?" Inuyasha said curtly, with a hint of menace in his tone. Which, at that, the man scuttled off.  
  
Inuyasha sighed and carried on down the street, keeping his head down with his cap slanted down to hide his eyes and ears - most of his hair had been tucked up into it as well.  
  
He rounded and corner and went stock still, eyes wide. Before him were a group of police officers talking to Kouga and... who he thought was Kagome. What was she doing with them? Suddenly Kouga seemed to recognise his presence and turned sharply to face him. The young woman followed his sudden gaze and narrowed her eyes when she saw him. The police officers recognised him at once.  
  
"Get him!"  
  
Inuyasha quickly jolted into a run, back the way he came and plunged straight into the crowds. That would give him time and with the cap on - they wouldn't be able to follow him so easily-  
  
But at that little thought, a toddler, being carried on his parents shoulders, stuck out his hand and clipped the cap from Inuyasha's head, making his hair fall out. Inuyasha almost did a double take to get the hat back, but when he saw the officers charging towards him he quickly changed his mind.  
  
"Inu! You can't run forever!" he heard someone shout out.  
  
At that he ducked down in the crowds and ducked into an alleyway and behind a bunch of dumpsters. He waited until the officers had passed completely before grabbing the drainpipe at the side of the alley and began to climb his way to the roof. Unfortunately, not all the officers had passed the alley yet - and as a few ran by they spotted his ascent.  
  
"He's on the roof!"  
  
He cussed lightly as he slipped over the railing of the roof and ran towards the gap between this roof and the next, he cleared it in one jump and then hopped down onto a lower roof, out of sight of anyone who was able to follow him... like... Kouga for instance.  
  
On the lower roof he crept towards the edge and looked down. Below him was the square in front of the supermarket and in the direct middle stood Kagome... though he couldn't quite place what was different about her. But he had to talk to her.  
  
He dropped down and landed with a thud that jarred his knee... he hadn't tried that in a while, that was for sure. Then he made his way as un- suspiciously towards Kagome as he could manage. "What are you doing with them?" he asked as he stood behind her.  
  
She whipped around him and her eyes widened with recognition at once. "It's my job."  
  
"You what?"  
  
"Granted, being with a bunch of chauvinistic men wasn't my idea, it was my superiors idea." She folded her arms calmly, if not smugly. "So... turning yourself in?"  
  
"You betrayed me." He growled. Then suddenly he realised the difference. This wasn't Kagome. This woman smelt of synthetic perfumes... Honeysuckle... while Kagome had a much milder and floral scent to her. He didn't base much on appearances anymore. "Wait..."  
  
"You really are as thick as they said, aren't you." She sneered. "Ookami may be too incompetent to capture you - but I assure you I am much different."  
  
She pulled something from her pocket and began to raise it towards him.  
  
"What the fuck...?" Inuyasha muttered, but he wasn't looking at Kikyo... he was looking at something behind her. "Oh my god..."  
  
Kikyo turned sharply to see what he was looking at but found herself staring at the store alone. When she turned back, opening her mouth to say something, he was gone.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
A whole week since the house had been stormed... and Inuyasha hadn't had the decency to contact her - let alone send a note. Kagome scrubbed the carpets in the bedroom with a furious expression.  
  
But then again... something much worse could have happened...?  
  
Kagome's hands came to a stop as she mulled over much more gruesome thoughts about what might be the real reason why he hadn't contacted her. But then the doorbell rang.  
  
"Inuyasha?" she leapt up, her heart practically soaring as she raced through the hall to answer the newly mended door. "Inu..."  
  
"Sorry to disappoint." Kouga told her neutrally from the porch.  
  
"Oh hi, K-"  
  
"Shh!" he held a finger to his lips and beckoned her forward out of the house. She followed obediently and closed the door behind her. "We can't talk in there, it's bugged." He told her.  
  
"I know."  
  
"I need to speak with you." He looked serious. "It's urgent."  
  
"Oh ok... should we... take a walk then?" she raised her eyebrows and he nodded.  
  
The walk took them into the woods behind the house before Kouga actually spoke again. "Inuyasha will most likely contact you soon... and put your life in danger again."  
  
"Uh huh..." She was busy trying to avoid getting the smelly sap on her shirt from the trees.  
  
"And I've decided that to keep your life safe... then I must try and keep Inuyasha's safe too." He drew to a stop beside a large gnarled tree.  
  
"Are you serious?" Kagome frowned suspiciously. "I thought you hated him... and you're one of them as well?"  
  
"Against my will, I assure you." He said quietly, stepping a little closer. "I have some information that will help Inuyasha..."  
  
"What sort of information?" she was still suspicious.  
  
"The sort that could secure the freedom of all genetically engineered test subjects including myself." He cocked his head. "Do you want to hear me out?"  
  
Duh! She nodded quickly and he leaned forward to whisper it in her ear.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
He'd smelt Kouga the second he had stepped onto the road towards Kagome's home. So he had been very careful to keep downwind all the way, following the wimpy wolf's trail all the way to the house, where it joined Kagome's before disappearing into the woods.  
  
Instantly his jealousy was sparked. What else did two people head off into the woods other than to get... better acquainted? (Probably didn't occur to Inuyasha that you could still get better acquainted in the house too...) He followed the trail through the woods until he saw two figures in a clearing up ahead.  
  
Still keeping downwind he peeked around a tree and peered through the bushes, his eyes narrowing when he saw what looked like Kouga and Kagome engaged in deep conversation. Though it was probably just Kouga whispering sweet nothings in Kagome's ear. And just when he was about to storm over there, able to take it no more, they both pulled back and Kagome gave Kouga a great big bear of a hug before they both parted. Inuyasha watched with scrutiny as Kouga headed away from the house and Kagome headed towards it.  
  
For a moment Inuyasha was torn between which one to follow? Kick the crap out of Kouga or go demand an explanation from Kagome. Well... he liked Kagome better so he followed her instead.  
  
By the time he got there she was already inside and he had to knock on the door.  
  
She opened it. "Kou..."  
  
"Sorry to disappoint." He ground out.  
  
She swallowed hard before slamming the door in his face. A little stunned was an understatement, because Inuyasha was damn right shocked at what she'd just had the nerve to do. But he was quickly over that. "Kagome! OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW!"  
  
He could hear her moving about inside but he couldn't tell what she was doing.  
  
"OR ELSE I'LL KNOCK IT DOWN AGAIN!!" he yelled.  
  
The door flew open and she held up a jotter pad saying 'SHHH! FOLLOW ME!'. He flicked an uncertain look to her while she made zipping motions at the mouth.  
  
Had she someone else in there?  
  
Before he could ask she clamped a hand over his wrist and dragged him through the hall into the boiler room, discarding the writing pad as she did so. When they were in there she shut the door firmly and sat down on the wooden ledge opposite the boiler.  
  
It was very cramped and fairly dark in the cupboard and Inuyasha was half squashed between Kagome's knees and the big boiler.  
  
"What are-"  
  
"Sit down." She patted the bench next to her. "And keep your voice down, the whole house is bugged."  
  
"Well all you need is some of that stinky spray that you always use on the ants-"  
  
"Not that kind of bugged - I mean the listening type." She hissed. "This is the only place I'm sure they didn't bother to place a listening device.  
  
Inuyasha sat down slowly and tried to make himself comfortable. It didn't help that he was half sitting on Kagome's lap. "Why such a small-"  
  
"Ouch! Watch where you put that foot!" she snapped and shifted so he could sit properly and she could put her legs across his lap. He didn't seem bothered by the action much, but she was blushing to the core.  
  
Before she could say anything about the problem at hand, Inuyasha broke out. "What were you doing with Kouga?" he asked evenly in a low tone.  
  
"You saw, huh?"  
  
"Everything." He drawled.  
  
"Then you heard it all too?"  
  
"Um... no..."  
  
"Then stop jumping to conclusions." She said simply. "Kouga came to tell me something important - about you."  
  
"About me?" Inuyasha sounded suspicious, like she'd felt before.  
  
"Yeah... he said that he wanted to make sure I was safe (insert Inuyasha snort here) and that the only way to do that was to make sure that you..." She trailed off as one of his hands nonchalantly slid to rest on her thigh, sending an electric thrill through her again. She struggled to keep going. "That... er... you stayed free and such..."  
  
"How?" he sounded curious, very likely oblivious to what his simple resting hand on her leg was doing to her.  
  
"He didn't tell me much... and I think you're going to have to fill in some of the blanks for me..." her toe gave a nervous twitch.  
  
He suddenly gripped her thigh a little more firmly, his expression serious. "What was it?"  
  
Kagome quickly shifted so that she was sitting properly and his hand fell from her leg. "He said... that the only way to ensure your freedom lay with you mother...?" she sounded sceptical.  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"The real one, he said."  
  
That seemed to strike a nerve, and he looked like he was ready to have a temper tantrum... but slowly his angry expression softened and Kagome frowned when he sighed. "Then I'll never be free will I?"  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: Next chapter - 'Infiltration'.) 


	12. Infiltration

Disclaimer: same as every other flipping chapter. I can't be bothered writing it all the time...  
  
(A/N: Not been a very good day today. Told off by three different teachers - got a detention for talking too loudly in class (though I think it's cuz the teacher has PMS and it's not pay day for another month) and then my friend tells me to call her because she broke up with her newest boyfriend. Flipping girl was on the phone for an hour before I had to pretend I was going through a tunnel because my credit was REALLY low. So I plan to send her the bill when I get a top up on my card tomorrow. Anyway... just so you know... not in a brilliant mood today... not quite in the zone.)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price of Freedom  
  
Infiltration  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
For every new experiment that was embarked upon, a lot of effort went on to get it started. It wasn't just a case of getting a mummy and a daddy who loved each other very much... it was a lot more complicated than that. In Inuyasha's case - the dog genes that had to be added to human genes to create cross-DNA was a lot difficult than going about making a baby the traditional way. Because for a start you needed dogs to fill in the blanks where genes had been removed from the human DNA strands.  
  
The total list of parents were two biological mother dogs, one biological human father - and two more human mothers... before there came a mother that was unrelated to Inuyasha in any way. The surrogate mother.  
  
Usually the surrogate mother was young, who needed the money because they came from a poor background. And in the newspaper, the position of acting as surrogate mother, was less than informative about what really went on. Because, for a start, they forgot to mention that the girl would be surrogate to a genetic experiment that could go wrong and kill her at any point during pregnancy... and they also forget to mention that she wouldn't be allowed outside the facility for nine months. So Inuyasha's mother probably had no idea what she was letting herself in for when she applied to take part in a scientific study in an island off the coast in International waters.  
  
"Well what happens after the kid is born?" Kagome asked him quietly as they sat squished up in boiler room still.  
  
"I don't know what happened to my own mother, but I've seen what happens to the recent new-borns." He said quietly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"The brats are taken and stuck in an incubator room or a nursery and the mother is thrown off the island with her money and a warning not to tell anybody what happened." He cocked his head. "I heard a rumour once that one surrogate mother went to the police as soon as she got to the mainland... and by some mishap she was shot in the head by accident."  
  
"By the police?" her throat constricted as he nodded.  
  
"Those people are above common law... they're at the top of the food-chain. No one can tell them what to do or shut them down either." Inuyasha sighed.  
  
"But that was the local police, right?" Kagome shifted slightly to face him properly. "What if we went to the police headquarters in Tokyo where their power can't have reached so far?"  
  
Inuyasha stared at her, unsure of what she was getting at.  
  
Kagome tried again. "What if we find your real mother and get her to talk to the police in Tokyo about what happened? Then the police would know something was up with the genetic engineering on the island facility and go and investigate. And when they discover the truth the whole thing will be blown out into the open." She clapped her hands. "Am I a genius or what?"  
  
"One problem." Inuyasha said.  
  
Sensing he was about to burst her bubble she scowled. "What?"  
  
"I don't know my real mother. I don't know her name, where she lives, what she looks like, how old she is, or where she comes from. I only met her once and that was when I was being born."  
  
"Oh..." Kagome frowned. "But wouldn't the labs you came from keep records and tabs on all the surrogate mothers, to make sure none of them talked?"  
  
"I suppose... but all the files and records are in the bosses office." Inuyasha's brown furrowed slightly at some faint memory. "And I'm not going back there."  
  
"I wouldn't make you." She touched his shoulder lightly. "And its not like I could waltz right in there, grab the files, then fox trot out."  
  
"I think we'll have to think about this." Inuyasha said slowly.  
  
"Yeah... meanwhile... you can stay here but you have to be really, really quiet, ok?"  
  
"What're you talking about? I'm always quiet."  
  
"Where'd you get that from?"  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"NO! No way!" Inuyasha stalked the length of the living room while Kagome sat sedately on the sofa while Kouga stood in the doorway, watching Inuyasha through narrowed eyes.  
  
"I'll protect her. She won't be in any harm while she's with me." Kouga said slowly.  
  
"The day she's safe with you is the day I grow a monkey tail!" Inuyasha snapped, glaring at him.  
  
"It could happen dog-turd!" Kouga growled.  
  
Without warning Inuyasha lunged at Kouga and both boys slammed to the ground. Kagome sprung into action and yanked Inuyasha off Kouga with an amazing feat of strength by the back of his shirt. "You two act like five year olds! Leave Kouga alone!"  
  
"Why're you defending him?!" Inuyasha snapped.  
  
"Because she likes me better." Kouga smirked.  
  
"Because you'll hurt him." She said simply, earning a cocky smirk from one boy and a glower from the other. "Anyway... I think Kouga's plan is way better than yours."  
  
"What's wrong with blowing it up?" Inuyasha pouted.  
  
"Firstly we have to get the explosives - which aren't exactly on offer down in Quicksave. And secondly, what about all the people that get caught in the blast? Thirdly, how are we supposed to plant the bombs and fourthly, what about all the records that we need to-"  
  
"Ok, ok! Don't have to show me up so much." Inuyasha grouched.  
  
"Kouga will look after me. Besides... both of you think I look a lot like this other girl... I think it should work." Kagome nodded firmly. "All I have to do is waltz in there, grab the files from... Mr Naraku's... office and then do the fox trot out like I planned."  
  
Inuyasha rolled his eyes.  
  
"No one will question her. They respect Kikyo too much." Kouga stood up and dusted himself down  
  
Kagome clapped her hands with the done deal. "Ok... just tell me how to dress and act like her and I'll be fine."  
  
Kouga nodded and started to leave at once, surprising the other two. "I can go down to the store and get some things for you now. We can leave tonight."  
  
Kagome opened her mouth to call something after him but the door slamming told her he was gone. Inuyasha smirked. "Look at that... all but ran with his tail between his legs."  
  
"I don't know why you hate him so much... he's helping you out a lot you know." She reminded him.  
  
"No, he's helping you." Inuyasha scowled as he stood and walked over to the window to check he was really going. "Fucking suck up..."  
  
"You can't stop me from going. Cause we're doing this to free you." Kagome told him seriously. "Then we find your mother and go to the real authorities with all the evidence."  
  
Nothing she said would really comfort him that there was absolutely nothing going on between her and Kouga. The nonchalant touching when he came back with suitable Kikyo clothes was a little suspicious. And the little smiles that she shared with him were also getting his nerves a little edgy.  
  
By the time Kagome was ready to go it was all Inuyasha could do to keep from throttling the wolf. She looked beautiful... with her hair pinned up and straightened, a pair of very stylish glasses and a figure flattering suit with a skirt and tights with high heels. And she was going to be with Kouga in a state like that?  
  
Inuyasha decided he had to have a talk with Kagome when she got back.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Evening Major Kikyo."  
  
Kagome started at the guard she was passing as she entered and she gave a jerky little wave as she slipped through doors, a few paces behind Kouga. It was going easier than she'd thought it would. And apparently the people around here DID respect Kikyo to somehow keep out of her way so eagerly. They all bowed their heads politely as she passed, and it was somewhat unnerving.  
  
Kouga led her down the similar white passages that seemed to descend into the ground with each turn. It was crowded with doctors, scientists and military agents in fatigues. As far as she could see, she was the only female there and stuck out like a sore thumb in a business skirt. She was just thankful that Kikyo wasn't a slutty agent.  
  
Kouga stopped as they reached a junction where their corridor split two ways in a fork. He had to speak quietly so no one would hear. "Left is the labs and right is the offices. Go down the right one until you get to the end where there is and office with a plate saying 'Dr Naraku'."  
  
"Dr Naraku..." Kagome bit her lip, struggling to keep the adrenaline twitches to a minimum. "What is he's in there?"  
  
"Then he'll think you're Kikyo doing more research into finding Inu and won't-"  
  
"His name is Inuyasha." She interrupted.  
  
"He'll think you're doing research and let you go on your way." He started down the left fork.  
  
"Wait! Where are you going?" she called suddenly and he stopped to look back. "I can't go down to offices until they call me to. You have to go alone... and be warned... Naraku doesn't like women... or Kikyo..."  
  
Kagome watched him leave, noticing that where he was going seemed to filled with a lot of those people in white lab coats. Towards the offices, a lot more people were dressed in either military uniforms of formal suits, like she was.  
  
Nervously, but briskly, she started to clip clop her way down the hall to the right, checking each door to find the one she needed. Though it was quite obvious when she found the right one because it was the biggest, it was the best and it was mostly glass walls with blinds.  
  
She stopped at the door and looked at the plate. It was definitely the right one. The bosses office.  
  
"Miss Kikyo." A man nodded as he passed by and she nodded in response. When he was gone completely she tapped lightly on the door. There was no response so she knocked again, a little louder with a little more courage.  
  
There was still no call from within so she just opened the door and stepped inside.  
  
The lights were dim in the large office, and along the walls on either side of her were stacks of filing cabinets made of mahogany and on the far side opposite her was a large mahogany desk with a glass carpet and more glass doors behind it and a very large cushy looking chair. For a moment she was tempted to go try it out, before remembering she was on a mission that she didn't want to drag out for too long. Besides, Kouga had warned her that the real Kikyo could be along at any time. Apparently it didn't take long for that girl to go to the beauticians to have her weekly manicure.  
  
She crossed the plush red carpet to the cabinets on her left and scanned the whole lot for the letter M. she found the whole cabinet that had been devoted to it and started to rifle through the first drawer looking for 'mother'. Unfortunately that didn't turn up much use and so she started to look for S as in 'surrogate mother'.  
  
She found S and her eyes widened in disbelief. Not only was a whole cabinet also devoted to everything that came under S - but also there were two whole cabinets devoted to everything that came under 'Surrogate mother'. She went straight to the first drawer and was immediately confronted with dozens and dozens of names of tones of women. Each woman had her own file that was at least a centimetre thick. Just to see what she was up against she lifted one random file and scanned the cover. There was a photo, a name, an address, and the date of when she was impregnated with a child. The year 1985. She gulped when she saw that the experiment had failed and the infant and mother had died.  
  
Another random file was a little scarier. The mother and infant had survived the pregnancy, but only two days after the birth the mother had died and over the front of the file was a great big red stamp saying 'TERMINATED'.  
  
"Ouch..." she muttered.  
  
Now... all she had to do was find Inuyasha's mother. Which wasn't going to be easy because she didn't know the name of this woman and they hadn't been classed under the name of their infant.  
  
It took a whole hour to scan through the entire content of the two cabinets an by then she had discovered a lot of women that had been surrogates to dog hybrids... and lots that had just been classed as canine. There were twenty files in total that had the possibility of being Inuyasha's mother... so she was going to play it safe and take all of them. Hopefully his mother would be one of the ones that was still alive... or at least keeping out of the mental institutes where an awful lot had been locked away.  
  
She stuffed the four inches worth of files into her handbag and stood up from where she had been sat on the floor and began to close the cabinets. Suddenly voices rose from outside as people seemed to be stopping by the door and she suddenly scrambled to stuff the excess files back into the drawers, not bothering to check if they were in the right places. Where were those superpowers when she needed them?  
  
The door opened and she slammed the last drawer shut and stepped away from them so nobody would suspect her.  
  
A strange middle-aged man in a suit entered and frowned at her. "Entering uninvited now, I see." He said snippily.  
  
She suspected this was Naraku. "I'm sorry, I thought I would wait for you here because... it was cold out in the corridor..."  
  
He stared at her like she was a dirt clod and started to move towards his desk. "What do you want?"  
  
"I...wanted..." she really sucked at excuses on the spot, then she spotted something beside his desk. "Your lamp!"  
  
"You want my lap." he sat down in his chair and glared at her flatly.  
  
"Well... actually, I-I wanted to know where you got it from... it's so..." she looked at it. "Lampish... and... simple... where'd you get it?"  
  
"One word. Ikea." She could have sworn his lip curled in disgust. Here was a guy who had serious relationship problems in the past. "Now get out before I fire you."  
  
"Yes, sir." There was nothing she would have liked more than to be thrown out now. And she scuttled from the office before he could change his mind.  
  
Out of the office and down the corridor, she began to wonder how she was supposed to get back to the mainland and to Inuyasha. Kouga had the keys to the speedboat that he and Kikyo used, and he was no where to be seen at the present moment.  
  
She looked at her watch and stopped at the fork in the corridor where she'd left him. She looked up and down the corridor and then paled rather quickly. For coming up the way she had just come was another woman... one who looked unusually familiar...  
  
"Oh bugger..." she tried to keep her head down and blend into the crowd... but she was the only one with a pair of legs so she still stuck out and she watched with growing horror as the real Kikyo spotted her, frowned, and started to walk towards her.  
  
"Who the hell are you?"  
  
"I'm Kikyo. Who the hell are you?" Kagome said back, trying to match the other girl's confusion.  
  
Kikyo suddenly looked like she understood. "Your Higurashi aren't you." She folded her arms and sighed. "I think it's best if you come with me now, spy."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: and the next chapter should be in a... month... - Only kidding! Should be by tomorrow or something. 'Finding Mom'.) 


	13. Finding Mom

Disclaimer: I really can't be bothered anymore. See chapter one for more information on how I DON'T own Inuyasha.  
  
(A/N: I'm all home alone now for a change! WOOHOO! No parents for a whole flipping weekend! This calls for houseparties and no homework and lots of takeout pizza!)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price of Freedom  
  
Finding Mom  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kikyo grabbed Kagome's arm and started to drag her back towards Naraku's office. Kagome was having none of it though. "Hey! Get your hands off me!" she yanked her arm away. "That's harassment! I could have you done for that!"  
  
"And I will have you done for trespassing, spying and impersonating an agent." Kikyo said coolly.  
  
"Ah..." before she could come up with anything much more intelligent than that she turned tail and ran for her life, trying to remember the way to the entrance.  
  
"Hey! Somebody stop her!" Kikyo was wearing dangerously high heels, it would have been murder for her to give chase after Kagome. She was lucky that only a few even bothered to help Kikyo out.  
  
She shot up the corridor, dodging the occasional guy who tried to rugby tackle her. If she made a single wrong turn then she would be cornered and captured and probably punished. And guessing by the amount of 'terminations' she'd come across in the filing cabinets, she didn't like to think of the many ways they could 'punish' her.  
  
She was coming up the exit and saw the guards standing on either side look up with confusion. "Stop her!" someone shouted from behind and they both braced to catch her.  
  
Kagome was having none of that either, and shook her head. "They're mad! Stop them!"  
  
Obviously they wanted to take 'Kikyo's' word over the men behind her and let her pass through the doors without question.  
  
Kagome shot into the tarmac grounds surrounding the base and started for the gate of the perimeter fence, staggering as she kicked her shoes off as she went.  
  
The men at the gates just stared with puzzled expressions as well. "Forgot my contacts!" Kagome said as they let her past. She was just in time because seconds later, a flood of military men poured out the doors shouting for everyone to stop the spy.  
  
Kagome put on an extra spurt of strength and ran. Fortunately she was running across a smooth tarmac road to the coast, so she didn't have to worry about stepping on anything sharp and hurting her feet. Had it been this easy for Inuyasha to escape? Not likely...  
  
The boat she had used to get on the island was waiting for her - as was Kouga.  
  
"Hurry up!" he called as she scrambled along the pier and into the boat. He had already started the engine in preparation and began to stream through the water at once. They were already a good distance from the pier before the men caught up and began getting in their own boats.  
  
"They're gonna catch us!" Kagome whispered urgently.  
  
"No they won't." Kouga said grimly.  
  
Almost as soon as he's said it there was a giant boom, from behind them that rocked even their own little speedboat. Kagome snapped her head back around to the pier and gaped as flames and smoke engulfed the whole area in an explosion of heat, curling up into a large mushroom in the air. She could feel the heat of the fire even at such a great distance.  
  
"You... you did that?" Kagome whispered.  
  
Kouga didn't answer.  
  
"I guess you liked Inuyasha's idea more than you let on." she said gravely. A deep respect for the people who had just got caught in those flames... but she didn't feel entirely too sorry for them.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"She said she'd be here by now..." Kagome grumbled as she sat in the bushes with both Inuyasha and Sango.  
  
They'd been sat there since dawn. The moment Kagome had gotten back she'd dragged Inuyasha out of the house and all the way to the start of the highway out of the town. Sango had joined them later... just so Kagome's mother (also known as the taxi) wouldn't get suspicious if Kagome turned up alone with a strange guy.  
  
"Can I just go stretch my legs...?" Sango asked, totally bored out her head.  
  
Kagome poked her head out of the bushes and looked up and down the road. There were no military convoys or jeeps or anyone suspicious looking around yet. "Ok... but be straight back."  
  
Sango rolled her eyes and went to go for a little walk. Kagome glanced sideways at Inuyasha who's expression looked even tighter than it had a minute ago. "What's biting you?"  
  
"Kouga."  
  
She felt that oncoming sense of yet another argument - one which she didn't want to get into. "You really do get jealous and possessive don't you."  
  
"I... no!" he snapped and hunkered down a little more sullenly. "It's just you get all touchy feely with him and stuff, and you expect me to do nothing about it? What about that kiss?"  
  
Kagome blushed at the memory. "What of it?"  
  
"Didn't that mean anything to you?" he scowled at her.  
  
"Yes... no... I mean... I was only showing you remember... I did warn you." She mumbled. "Besides... that doesn't mean that I am your girlfriend or that you own me in any way."  
  
Inuyasha scowled even more deeply. "So that means you can still flirt with every guy you meet?"  
  
"You are SO exaggerating!" Kagome gasped at him. "I don't flirt with Kouga and I don't know many other guys here - and like you know the meaning of the word 'flirt' anyway!"  
  
"I do too!" Inuyasha grouched. "You know very well what touching Kouga does to him - and you still do it! And you do it to me as well - and every other person! Damn... you must even flirt with Sango."  
  
Kagome reddened even more. "Touch is a simple human interaction, Inuyasha. Though I doubt you've encountered much of it."  
  
"I've been touched plenty of times and I've never felt the way I do when you touch me! You do it deliberately!" he snapped.  
  
Kagome blinked at that. She really hadn't known what simple touch had done to him... "I thought you didn't like me touching you..." she said quietly.  
  
"I don't." he said quickly. A little too quickly. Well it was true... when he'd first met her at least. He sighed and looked away, half angry at himself more than at her. "Touch should be bad. It means distance where I come from."  
  
"It can be a blessing as well." Kagome pointed out. "It can bring blossoms to things that decay. My mother always said that."  
  
"Do I decay?" Inuyasha wrinkled his nose.  
  
"Only when you don't shower. You don't exactly blossom either though." She quietly slipped her arm around his shoulders and laid her head down, wondering what it meant when he didn't flinch and push her away. "Penny for your thoughts?"  
  
"How come you're so different?" he frowned slightly, cocking his head slight to rub her cheek against the top of her head. "Why doesn't it bother me when you touch me?"  
  
"Because I'm a girl?" she guessed, amazed at how honest he could be. Of course, he'd probably never had to worry about expressing himself much before.  
  
She felt him lift his head and did the same in response - only to find that her lips all but crashed against his by accident. They both pulled back at the same time, Kagome blushing furiously while Inuyasha just looked confused.  
  
"I think it's cause you're you." He said with a frown like he didn't really trust what he'd said. Kagome smiled and shuffled away a little, eager to get a little distance between them since she seemed to be getting a hot flush all of a sudden.  
  
"What's that?" Inuyasha's ears suddenly pricked forward. "Sounds like a vehicle... but weaker..."  
  
"That's a car." She said quickly and jumped to her feet to peer out of the bush. Sure enough she spotted the black family car heading towards them - definitely her mother. "Come on - put your hat on!"  
  
She trotted out to the road and waved until her mother stopped beside her and wound down the window. "Hi stranger!"  
  
"Hi mom." Kagome hefted her bag over her back. "I want you to meet someone."  
  
Mrs Higurashi looked past her and spotted Inuyasha coming out of the bushes, halfway putting his hat on. At once a small frown appeared on her face. It wasn't like every mother loved to see her daughter stumbled out of bush with a bloke with long white hair.  
  
"This is Inuyasha - Inuyasha this is my mom."  
  
They both sized each other up like fighters before Mrs Higurashi broke out into a natural smile. "Nice to meet you Inuyasha." Though neither were sure whether she meant it.  
  
"You too." Inuyasha nodded and looked at Kagome as if for help.  
  
"He coming to Tokyo too?" her mother asked Kagome.  
  
"Yeah... he's on holiday too and his parents don't mind him coming back with me and Sango."  
  
"Sango coming too?" her mother perked up. "Her father's been having kittens."  
  
Inuyasha looked surprised and Kagome had to quickly whisper "not literally' to assure him.  
  
Sango arrived at that point and waved brightly at Mrs Higurashi. "Hi Mrs Higurashi."  
  
"Hello Sango. Long time no see, eh?"  
  
Sango just smiled and giggled politely as Kagome hurriedly stuffed the other two into the back before anyone drove past and got into the front beside her mother.  
  
Inuyasha and Sango swapped glances before looking out the window again. Neither could believe they'd been suckered into a car full of people for half a day on a drive back to the city.  
  
At least the trip was a little more interesting for Inuyasha who hadn't seen much else other than the coast and the island. The whole scenery on the way back to civilisation was a whole new experience to him. Sango just turned on her Walkman and sang along to her favourite tunes while Kagome discreetly began to read through the files she'd acquired from the institute.  
  
"What're you reading?" her mother asked at one point along the journey.  
  
"Um... just research for... Business Studies." Kagome lied quickly.  
  
"Goodness Kagome, you haven't been back from your holiday for two hours before you start doing homework." She laughed softly.  
  
"Yeah, that's me. Workaholic." Kagome carried on reading hurriedly, trying to identify which surrogate mother could be Inuyasha's.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"At least fifteen of these women actually live in Tokyo... spread out in different districts here and there and... would you please focus?" Kagome snapped at Inuyasha who was hanging out her window again. She tapped the files spread out on her desk angrily. "Don't you want to find you mother?"  
  
"I do but... wow... this place is amazing..." he leaned further out. "So many people and vehicles... so many trees - and how come you never said you lived in a house that people worshipped?"  
  
"It's a shrine, Inuyasha..." she sighed, she'd explained this before. "Come on! We have to concentrate here or we'll never secure your freedom. They could still find us! They know my name - it's only a matter of time before they track me here and find you as well."  
  
"Ok, ok..." he sat down on the bed Indian style and looked around at the objects in her room.  
  
"Ok... we have to narrow the search...when were you born?"  
  
"What has that got to do with anything?" he frowned, shifting his gaze back to her.  
  
"It means I can find which one your mother is by the date of when she gave birth."  
  
"Oh... well... they said I was a... nineteen eighty five." He did the math. "Which means I'm seventeen..."  
  
"Ok... nineteen eighty-five..." she rifled through the files, discarding the ones that didn't have that date. There were only three left. "What month?"  
  
"No idea."  
  
"You don't know when your birthday is?" Kagome seemed surprised.  
  
"Not really." He shrugged and smirked.  
  
"Come take a look at these then." She gestured him forward and he complied, leaning over her shoulder to see the files. "Does any of them ring a bell?"  
  
"Um..." the photos didn't remind him of anything special. None of the faces were familiar, neither were the descriptions. One had been terminated after the birth and the other two were still alive...except there was one difference. "These two - the infant died two and four years after it was born. I'm the only seventeen year old Inu... so this has to be her."  
  
He pointed to the remaining file, looking at the photo in a new light.  
  
Kagome smiled. "She's pretty."  
  
"She's too young." He frowned. "She looks younger than me."  
  
"This was taken seventeen years ago." Kagome pointed out. "It says she was sixteen here... so she should be about thirty-three by now. Lives in the Yakara district... that's about a twenty minute trip if we go by the tube."  
  
"Can we go now?" Inuyasha asked bluntly.  
  
"Well we just got back and I'm pretty tired..." she caught his intent look. "But I'm sure Mom won't mind if we slip off for a while."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome hadn't anticipated how difficult going on the tube would be for Inuyasha. He had a perpetually angry expression the whole way. People were crammed against them from all sides - and while Kagome had been crushed up to Inuyasha with a major blush - Inuyasha had tried to strain away from all the people around him. Kagome could have been imagining it, but he kept shooting dirty looks to the man who his back up against hers.  
  
When they were off he looked distinctly happier.  
  
"Here we are... Yakara district..." she looked around appreciatively. "Mom thought we could move here because of the nice suburbs... but Grandpa didn't really like he idea of giving up the shrine - I mean, it's been in our family for generations."  
  
"Which way now?" he looked around. His mother certainly had done very well for herself if she lived in such a nice area like this. It was crowded like the rest of Tokyo, but had clean streets and the houses looked neat and tidy - and there were less people walking the streets than in other areas.  
  
"Um..." Kagome checked the file. "It says that she's moved twice... and her current address since nineteen ninety five is down that way."  
  
Kagome pointed and Inuyasha headed off at once, Kagome had to all but run to keep up with him. The house wasn't actually that far from the tube station and when they stopped in front of a rather nice looking house, they had doubts on whether or not they'd come to the right place or not.  
  
"This is the place." Kagome consulted the file again before putting it away. "Yashira Koshi."  
  
"I was named after her." He glanced at Kagome. "The Yasha part, anyway."  
  
"Here goes nothing." They both took a deep breath. "Let's go."  
  
Neither of them moved in any way, and they eventually swapped nervous looks. Kagome shuffled her feet. "You wanna knock?"  
  
"No..."  
  
At least he was still as honest as ever. Kagome sighed and slowly went up the steps to the door and knocked politely.  
  
"Who is it?" a woman's voice cam from within.  
  
"Hi... I'm Kagome Higurashi... I'd like to talk to you please." She called back.  
  
The door opened and Kagome stepped back slightly to see the woman within. She looked just like the photo... except her face was no long soft with youth, but looked older and more beautiful. Once glance back at Inuyasha told Kagome that he was stumped.  
  
"Do I know you?" Yashira asked with a kind smile.  
  
"Are you Yashira Koshi...?"  
  
"Yes." She nodded, glancing from her to Inuyasha and then back again, clearly waiting for the reason why she'd been called away from her cleaning.  
  
"Yashira Koshi... from the Central Science Laboratory?" Kagome asked slowly.  
  
"Uh... no." the woman shook her head politely, her smile still holding. "I don't know any science laboratory."  
  
Of course. She wouldn't just admit stuff like that if it depended on her life that she kept it to herself.  
  
"It's ok... we know about what happened and-"  
  
The door was suddenly slammed in her face and Kagome found her nose only millimetres from the wood that almost could have broken her nose. She gaped at the door and then at Inuyasha before getting a little annoyed. "Hey! We came all the way from the coast to talk to you! The least you could do is give us a cup of coffee!"  
  
"Go away!" came a short reply.  
  
"We're not the bad guys, Miss Koshi!" Kagome called through the door again. "We need your help to free your son."  
  
There was a long pause before the door opened a crack again. "How is it you know all this."  
  
"Because I am trying to help your son be free," Kagome looked back at Inuyasha.  
  
The older woman took the hint and stepped slowly out of the door to look down at Inuyasha. She stared at him openly, taking in his hair and eyes and features of his face. "What happened to your ears?"  
  
"They grew out." Inuyasha tugged his cap off for her to see them and she gasped. Kagome realised that he mustn't have been born that way.  
  
"Y-you... really are..." she had to grip the rail of the steps to keep her knees firm. "What is your name?"  
  
"Inuyasha."  
  
"A slave name." She narrowed her eyes sadly and frowned. "They oppress you?"  
  
"They used to." Inuyasha responded.  
  
"Please..." Kagome whispered softly. "We need you to help us free them all. If you could just only go to the authorities then-"  
  
"I'm sorry - I can't help you." Inuyasha's mother cut in sharply. "They will kill me if I go to the police - they will know - they are higher up the chain than the petty authorities. There is no way I can help you. I'm sorry."  
  
Rather abruptly she walked back in the house and shut the door on them. Kagome was a little stunned again and descended the steps to Inuyasha who was still staring at the door. "Ok... that didn't go well... maybe we should try one of the other mothers instead and then come back to see her later-"  
  
"No." Inuyasha said shortly.  
  
"Why?" Kagome frowned.  
  
"If my own mother won't save me then why should these other strange women risk their lives either." He snapped.  
  
Kagome winced. Put like that it sounded like the whole world was against him... which it basically was.  
  
"I won't give up yet." She said firmly and started searching for another address.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: next chapter - 'Obtaining the Evidence') 


	14. Obtaining The Evidence

Disclaimer: don't ask me anymore.  
  
(A/N: Yay! I'm happy! I have a new hamster today! It's escaped twice already - but I am NOT naming him Houdini, ok?)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price of Freedom  
  
Obtaining the Evidence  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"She's just scared, that's all." Kagome reassured Inuyasha as they headed towards the cities Police headquarters. He seemed quieter than usual.  
  
"I know."  
  
"She doesn't hate you."  
  
"I wouldn't care if she did."  
  
"Yes you would." Kagome said casually as they stopped at the steps of the station. "Ok... here's the plan - you stay here, and I'll sort this out without any of the mothers."  
  
"Ok." Inuyasha said flatly as he sat down on the steps.  
  
"And if anyone comes up to you and asks for your money with a knife - just give it to them." She smiled. "Or beat the crap out of them."  
  
He smiled despite himself.  
  
Kagome made her way through the doors and headed for the front desk - but had to wait in a cue, queue because a lot of people had problems in this city. But she finally made it to the front with a little pushing and eyelash fluttering.  
  
"Hi... I'd like to blow open a huge secret government organisation that is illegally violating human rights in their research." Kagome said casually.  
  
"Right... next please!" the officer called.  
  
"Wait - I'm serious!" Kagome plonked a couple of the files on the desk. "Those are some of the women who have been violated - and there are hundreds more - some of which have been killed as a result."  
  
The man looked at her incredulously. "How am I supposed to believe a kid?"  
  
"Because I'm the only one who's gotten away unnoticed with the information." Kagome told him. "Please... this is serious, I ask for confidentiality, cause this is big."  
  
The officer rifled through the files and frowned. "Damn... this shit is real?"  
  
"Dead real." Kagome nodded.  
  
"Uh, ok... Take a seat in the waiting room and I'll send one of the inspectors to see you." He gestured for her to sit down, and kept the files for himself.  
  
Kagome did as she was told and was sat down for almost an hour before anyone came to see her again. And when they did it was a middle-aged man with greying hair at the temples in a business suit. "Miss Higurashi?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Come with me."  
  
Kagome followed the man into a smaller room... one that looked suspiciously like an interrogation room, complete with mirror.  
  
The man stood for a few quiet minutes while he looked at the files he'd been given. "So... it seems that you've stumbled on a secret military organisation."  
  
"More like it stumbled on me." Kagome said quickly.  
  
"I see..." the man looked uncertain. "These are very serious allegations little lady."  
  
"But they're true - I'm not a prankster."  
  
"How can we be sure?"  
  
"You're holding the evidence." Kagome pointed out.  
  
"These could be faked up." He put them down on the desk between them. "According to these the scientists over there have progressed a lot further than they claim... but that's impossible. No one's ever gotten as far as even cloning a human embryo successfully."  
  
"Cause they've been lying." Kagome shook her head. "They finished cloning like twenty years ago - they started genetic engineering with animals and have been testing the subjects and improving ever since."  
  
"But why? Why would they do that?" the inspector frowned. "It wouldn't make sense."  
  
"I don't know... Dr Naraku has a god complex or something... either that or its all for the military - cause these subjects can be used as lapdogs as well - and they can do things human's can only dream of."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Hear a conversation going on in another room, smell what you had for breakfast and their physical abilities are pretty cool too - and they're only the canine attributes." Kagome told him. "They're still doing engineering for experiments because the canines have bad eyesight."  
  
"This is all a little far-fetched." He sighed.  
  
"But can't you at least check it out and prove me wrong." Kagome pleaded.  
  
"I can't authorise it unless there is more conclusive evidence. All this is, is just a claim that there is something going on. I've had someone phone these women and they've denied all knowledge."  
  
"Because they're scared for their lives, Inspector."  
  
"Maybe... but to prove that there is something worth investigating, you would have to bring me more proof. Photographs, reports... whatever... just something more tangible than this."  
  
Kagome groaned. "But I'd have to go all the way down there again."  
  
"Well..." the officer looked thoughtful. "I could arrange to have you flown to the coast. You can gather the evidence and come back the same night."  
  
Kagome perked up. "That's an awful lot to do on my word."  
  
"Between you and me - there's always been something dodgy going on in that place." He told her quietly.  
  
Kagome nodded. "I can do that - apparently I look a lot like one of the Majors there. I can slip in and out without too much trouble."  
  
"Of course you would."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Are people meant to talk all the way through the film?" Inuyasha asked as Kagome casually slipped her arm through his as they exited the taxi (not Kagome's mother - the real taxi this time) and headed for the airport entrance.  
  
"No... it's just what they do to be rude." She smiled, but really only to cover her nerves. Last time she'd tried to infiltrate the place she'd met her match, literally, and had barely gotten away. But this time she didn't have Kouga to help her out... which made Inuyasha happy... but it meant that Inuyasha would have to accompany her instead - cause a diversion to give her time to capture some real evidence.  
  
And there was a real fear inside her at the prospect at sending Inuyasha back to a hellhole like that.  
  
"Ok... so we've got the plan right?" Kagome had already been through it several times, but she had to be sure they knew what they were doing. "I go in, posing as Kikyo again - and you go and cause a distraction outside the base - don't go in it! Then I find this... control room thingy and print out surveillance footage. Ok?"  
  
"Jeez, anyone would think you were scared."  
  
"Only a moron tries a harebrained scheme twice."  
  
"Then how come Wile E. Coyote never tries the same tactic thing twice?" he pointed out.  
  
"Watching too much TV lately?" she sniggered at him. "But that's not the point... in real life they might be on the lookout for another spy."  
  
"No, believe me. They never suspect anyone is stupid enough to try it twice - so they won't be expecting you to try it again." Inuyasha shrugged. "Works for me."  
  
"Ok... but we have to be back on the plane before ten o'clock otherwise we have to call my mother again and make her trek all the way back to the coast to fetch us." Kagome warned. "You have been in a plane before, right...?"  
  
"Yep... but I didn't see much because they stuck me in a metal box." And he said that so casually that Kagome had to wonder what he considered 'cruel' anymore.  
  
"I think you'll like going in business class then."  
  
"Is it crowded?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Then I love it!"  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
She was on her own again, trying to walk the exact way that she'd seen Kikyo walk and hold the same facial expression as well... which was basically blank and a little apathetic. She'd also used a little extra make- up to make her skin a little paler... and she looked a lot more convincing than last time.  
  
She only had to glare coldly at the men at the gates to make them let her in before proceeding across the walkway to the base entrance where the new shift of guards were a little more careful. "Didn't you just leave? Please show us your identification, major."  
  
Kagome's stomach twisted with nerves and she fixed them both with another soul-piercing glare that would have scared the crap out of her had she looked in a mirror. "Sorry, I left it back inside." She said shortly.  
  
Fortunately they mustn't have noticed the change in clothes Kikyo seemed to have undergone in the last five minutes (they were unobservant men after all) and let her pass without much further hassle.  
  
She had to watch herself after that. People were giving her sideways looks, half expecting for her to have crinkled edges of a mask on or something... and she wasn't really comforted by Inuyasha's statement that they wouldn't expect infiltration twice.  
  
Luckily for the directionally challenged Kagome, there were lots of very helpful signs on the walls as she passed down the corridors and she only had to follow the sign for the control room to find her way. Though it did unnerve her that she kept seeing signs like 'animal testing laboratories' and 'isolation cells'. The thought of Inuyasha spending all his life here was just bone chilling.  
  
What was even more shocking was that she passed a room close to the control room labelled 'the nursery'.  
  
She reached the control room and scowled when she saw that it had to have one of the those security sliding cards to open it. So she just did things the traditional way and just knocked.  
  
"What?" came the curt reply.  
  
"It's Major Kikyo. Did I leave my swipe card in there with you?" she asked in a slightly formal accent that she seemed to acquire out of thin air.  
  
"Um... no..."  
  
"Can I come in and check?"  
  
"Are you sure you're not an impostor?"  
  
"Don't be smart with me boys!" she snapped angrily and there was a scuffle on the other side as many hands scrambled to open the door for her. When it opened she entered calmly and shut the door behind her. "One little incident does not mean you should lose respect." She reminded them calmly as she reached into her handbag and pulled out a can of spray.  
  
They stared at her a moment as she aimed and sprayed... before collapsing into a little organised heap as the little droplets of spray touched their skin. God bless the guy who came up with neutralising spray for the police force!  
  
Kagome dropped her act at once and bit her lip as she edged around the little pile of young men, not really wanting to get knocked out by her own knocker outer, all the way to the console. Then she was faced with the problem of figuring out how to work all these buttons...  
  
There were dozens and dozens of screens around her, each showing some room or corridor within the institute... and quite a lot of images of what was going on in cells.  
  
She stared at each one for quite a long time... seeing each subject for the first time, and realising that not a lot of the subjects had been as successful as Inuyasha or Kouga - cause a lot hadn't even turned out looking remotely humanoid. She could also see what was going on in the labs - and could even see some of the tests that were carried out on the subjects.  
  
Only when she was finding it difficult to tap the print button did she realise that she was shaking so badly and had to turn her eyes away to keep a hold of herself. It made her so angry!  
  
Then she spotted a glimpse of white on one of the screens showing the exterior of the base and looked up with surprise. How the hell had Inuyasha gotten on to the roof?  
  
It was a blessing she'd found the control room so fast, otherwise these unconscious guards may have triggered an alarm right now.  
  
A couple more minutes were spent on printing out more pages which she quickly stuffed into her bag and tapped the console impatiently, half watching Inuyasha creating a diversion with the guards and half watching out for Kikyo...  
  
Suddenly the lights dimmed around her and red lights started to blink around her as a siren rose up. She jolted upright and looked around. Someone had triggered the alarm anyway... but she hadn't thought that Inuyasha had been spotted yet... had he?  
  
Then she saw something, which nearly made her slip off her chair all together. Kikyo, the witch bitch herself was storming down the entrance corridor, straight towards the control room. She had been the one to start the alarm!  
  
Kagome frantically flew to the door and threw the bolt down in place, seconds before Kikyo tried to open it. She was trapped now... completely... and she glanced back at the monitors to see that guards had now spotted Inuyasha's diversion and were giving chase in a rather more strategic way than she'd given them all credit for.  
  
The last page was still printing and she hopped from foot to foot as the machine churned out one little bit at a time.  
  
Finally it finished and she all but snatched the paper out of the printer before it had been released... inadvertently ripping it in half. She swore angrily at the waste.  
  
The door cracked open and Kikyo entered with a murderous expression. "Some people never learn!"  
  
Kagome stumbled back, tripping over the bodies of the men on the floor and falling against the control panel behind her. She took a moment to glance over her shoulder and saw to her dismay that Inuyasha had been captured, caught and pinned against a wall by so many men she could barely see the white of his hair anymore.  
  
"I think I'm going to have to teach you a lesson, girl." Kikyo began to advance... and Kagome's hand accidentally slipped against a glass slide that covered a red button... like a fire alarm. The glass cracked and cut her hand while pushing the button beneath.  
  
Then the whole situation turned from bad to worse.  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: Ok, I'm going to play with my new hamster now. Bye! Next chapter - 'Wasted Efforts'.) 


	15. Wasted Effort

Disclaimer: Yep - I am the girl who doesn't own Inuyasha. You want to find a girl who does own it? Go to Japan! And if you're already there - go to see Takahashi Rumiko!  
  
(A/N:I keep seeing ants everywhere... there's one crawling over my desk right now...............@-@)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price of Freedom  
  
Wasted Effort  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The monitors flickered off and the lights diminished, plunging the whole base into darkness.  
  
Inuyasha, who was just about to be handcuffed suddenly found his captors momentarily confused.  
  
"What the heck are they up to?" someone muttered behind him as heads turned back to the base, which seemed to be having a power cut.  
  
Suddenly, Inuyasha twisted away and hauled himself onto the window ledge out of their reach. "Hah! Suck on that suckers-"  
  
"Shit! The electronic locks in isolation are failing! Seal the exits before they can escape!" the whole bunch of men that had cornered Inuyasha now surged off to go seal those exits they'd been talking about, leaving Inuyasha a little neglected.  
  
"Hey!" Inuyasha yelled. "Aren't I important anymore?!"  
  
Apparently not, because no one bothered to answer. Though... it wasn't surprising. Either let one little Inu hybrid go, or let a whole base full of subjects that had been in isolation, for a reason, go instead? Hard decision...  
  
Inuyasha glanced inside the window behind him and saw many people racing to and fro in the corridors, looking like the proverbial headless chickens. What was Kagome up to...?  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Now look what you've done?!" Kikyo hissed through the darkness at Kagome.  
  
"You made me start!" Kagome hissed back.  
  
"You were printing images weren't you! I can't allow that!" Kikyo sounded firm. "I have to stop you."  
  
"You and what army-" Kagome was cut off soundly as a rather hard object cracked against the side of her face. "OW!"  
  
"Who says I need an army to stop you?" Kikyo braced to throw another punch in the darkness.  
  
"Bitch that hurt!" Kagome cradled her numb cheek, feeling her eye beginning to water. "Ow..."  
  
"You want another, spy?!" Kagome had enough sense to dive the next punch but it still clicked the corner of her eye and sent her reeling back... that was definitely going to bruise later.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?!" Kikyo snapped as Kagome started to crawl towards the door.  
  
Whatever made Kagome think that she could take on a fully trained military major and a government agent in the first place deluded her. Because she was about to have her ass kicked. And Kikyo DID actually kick her in the ribs before slamming her head so hard against the floor that she saw a burst of stars fill her vision.  
  
"W-wait-!" Kagome cried out as Kagome dragged her up from the floor be her hair.  
  
"I can't allow spies to get away with vital information." Kikyo said in a cool tone and kneed her in stomach before throwing a hard double fisted punch right into the middle of her face. Kagome screamed and automatically struck back, scratching a catish line across Kikyo's cheek  
  
"You little-!"  
  
The door was swung open again before Kikyo could finish that loving little sentiment and Inuyasha entered looking a little confused. "What the fuck are you playing at in here!"  
  
"Inuyasha - she's beating the crap out of me!" Kagome cradled her bleeding nose while Kikyo tried to backtrack.  
  
"Wait - she ran into a wall, being so dark and everything - I didn't do anything!" she stepped back as Inuyasha started to advance on her. But unfortunately for her she tripped over the same three men that Kagome had tripped over and cracked her head back against the control console. Knocking her clean unconscious.  
  
"Well... she just fainted at the mere sight of me." Inuyasha smirked.  
  
"That's wonderful." Kagome sniffed and wiped the blood from under her nose. "Can we go now - before we get caught, I mean."  
  
"I suppose - everyone's in a panic because all the subjects from isolation have escaped." Inuyasha dragged Kagome up bridal style and headed off rapidly since she seemed to be having trouble walking in a straight line.  
  
"Isolation? Who's in isolation?" Kagome said while pinching the bridge of her nose.  
  
Inuyasha paused a moment to assess the best escape route without being caught before answering. "All the experiment subjects which went wrong go there... the ones which go wrong in the head."  
  
"Ah..." Kagome winced at the thought.  
  
A scream broke out behind them, and Inuyasha just sped up without a second look. He didn't want to scare Kagome about what might happen if they met one of the failed subjects.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Are you sure you're ok?"  
  
"Would you stop fussing - I'm fine." Even though she said that, she sounded like she had cotton wool stuffed up her nose on top of a cold or something. She also had a black/purple shiny bruise under her eye and a rather large black one on her right cheek, along with a split lip.  
  
"Personally you look like hell." Inuyasha commented as they made their way back to the police station.  
  
"Well..." she sounded a little miffed and offended. "At least people will think twice about picking a fight with me now."  
  
"Yeah - they'll think 'oh there goes an easy little target with a pocket full of cash'." Inuyasha remarked cynically.  
  
"No..." she rolled her eyes at him as they rounded the corner onto the main street. "They'll think 'there goes a tough bird who'd probably kick the crap out of me' and they'd leave me alone... and what the hell is going on here...?"  
  
The whole street was choker-blocked with hundreds of people with lots of loud heavy rhythm music playing in the background. It looked like a parade was going on past the police station on floats with lots of colourful fancy dress and confetti.  
  
"Hey! It's a festival!" Kagome pointed to the stage float. Some celebrities she didn't really recognise were being chugged along while they waved at the crowds from their platform above the road.  
  
Inuyasha just regarded it all like the most antisocial creep in the world. "Why are there so many people in one place... doesn't anyone respect the whole personal space thing?"  
  
"Not when they're having fun..." Kagome was tempted to go join the crowd before she remembered that it wouldn't be completely fair on Inuyasha - and she still had a job to do. She didn't get a black eye and a split lip for just anything! "Ok... come on..."  
  
She went up the steps to the police station and left Inuyasha in the waiting room while she went to the front desk. A little more patient waiting in line and she was at the front of the queue with the same officer from last time.  
  
"Hi... can I speak to the detective I saw last time, please?" Kagome asked nicely.  
  
He slowly took in her battered face and frowned. "Inspector Josuke has just taken early retirement. He won't be working on the case any longer."  
  
"Oh..." Kagome frowned in bemusement.  
  
"Have you got the evidence?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah," she pulled it out her back and onto the desk.  
  
He picked the file up and leafed through the printed images inside. "Fake, fake, fake and... more fakes... I'm sorry but we've discovered your little prank girl and we know what you're up to."  
  
And with that he ripped up the evidence in his hands and tossed the bits into a waste paper basket at his feet. Kagome gaped at him before growing so angry she began to shake. "Do you know what I went through to get those pictures?"  
  
"By the looks of you, yes I do, but the evidence is already confirmed a fake. Agents from the department above us told us about your history in pranking and want the case dismissed at once. Next please."  
  
Kagome was rudely pushed aside by the woman behind her who was rather eager to tell the officer about whatever problem she had while Kagome gaped at the man still. But he was ignoring her now and there was nothing more she could do now... so she slowly made her way back to Inuyasha.  
  
He saw her coming and rose to his feet quickly, noticing her shocked expression at once. "What's wrong?"  
  
"They found out... the people from the institute have forced my inspector out of his job and they've halted the investigation." Kagome sounded bewildered before bursting out angrily. "They have no right to do that! After all the trouble we went through to get all the evidence! Thank the bloody lord that I learnt how to photocopy!"  
  
"They took the evidence...?" Inuyasha sighed and folded his arms angrily. "Well Yashira did say that they were above the police..."  
  
"They can't do this." Kagome smouldered, glaring at the passing platform float before them. Then an idea struck her. A horribly flamboyant and horrific idea that she scared herself - but she had to do it. If the police wouldn't listen and do anything then she could go to the next more powerful thing... the press...  
  
Inuyasha frowned as Kagome suddenly bolted through the crowds before them and hopped easily over the fence that held them back from the road. At once officers that were keeping the crowds in check gaped at her, but couldn't abandon their posts to stop her. Kagome jumped up onto the slow moving float and pushed the man who was on the announcing microphone out the way and grabbed the thing for herself. At once the music stopped and so did the float, but Kagome's face was set.  
  
"You're being lied to! The government is lying to every one of you! They can't suppress it forever!" she spoke with a shaky voice into the microphone.  
  
There was a murmur in the crowds as people considered this before some person yelled out. "You mean they're not really lowering taxes?!"  
  
"No!" Kagome gasped. "I mean there's a secret branch of the military government that has been holding classified research from the rest of the government about genetic engineering!"  
  
She managed to say that in one big breath. The words 'Genetic' and 'Engineering' were enough to spark off intrigued interest at once.  
  
"There's an island off the coast that had been genetically engineering and splicing humans with animals," she hoped she was using the right words, otherwise she would sound like a prat to the trained ear. "They're violating hundreds of peoples human rights and they did this to me!"  
  
She gestured to her face and the crowd gasped. She caught someone mutter 'God, she's hideous...'  
  
Kagome glanced briefly at Inuyasha, expecting him to be staring at her in total shock or something lost for words... but he wasn't standing where she'd left him. In fact she couldn't see him anymore.  
  
"They've shut down my attempts to speak out! And it's about time that-"  
  
Kagome didn't get a chance to finished as Inuyasha grabbed her roughly and pulled her off the stage so quickly that she was gasping for breath. "I was building to a dramatic climax, dolt!" she hissed.  
  
But no sooner had she been thrown from the stage but a loud shot rang out in the air and the wooden boards that she'd been standing on splintered. For a moment there was complete silence as everyone tried to process what had just happened... before utter chaos broke out and people began stampeding away from the float and the streets.  
  
Inuyasha tugged a dumbstruck Kagome along behind him since she seemed incapable of moving. "I... I was nearly shot..." she managed as she stumbled into a run along with the general public.  
  
Inuyasha was a little busy pushing other people out of his way in his haste before he dragged Kagome before him and started to guide her. "It came from the police department."  
  
"The police tried to shoot me?!" Kagome shrieked. "But I'm not a criminal!"  
  
"Naraku probably has connections further than you thought!" Inuyasha remembered the way home and pulled Kagome out of the stream of shocked people and down a smaller road, heading towards the shrine where she lived. "He's probably got men in the police force that answer to him."  
  
"Oh..." Kagome slowed down despite Inuyasha's efforts to keep her moving.  
  
"Come on!" he urged angrily.  
  
"Wait... this is hopeless..." Kagome stopped completely and began to sniffle. At once Inuyasha found a lump forming in his throat. "We try... and try... to-to get away - we travel half-way across the country to get away and they're still around us! And there's no one we can tell who will help us!"  
  
"Kagome..."  
  
"Soon they'll put up those wanted posters again... and... and you'll be hunted here and wherever you or I go!" Kagome leant back against the wall beside her. "Damn... I've made a complete mess of things haven't I?"  
  
"Yeah... but that wasn't your fault." Inuyasha uneasily rested a hand on her shoulder and patted her awkwardly. "These people ARE part of the government... and you're just one teenage girl."  
  
She understood what he said. And she remembered all the people in history that had taken on the government for all sorts... and most hadn't made much difference in their lifetime until after they'd been killed for their cause and become martyrs. Kagome didn't plan to die anytime soon... but she'd risked her life to death more times in the past week than she had done in a lifetime.  
  
She was vaguely aware of the big fat tear that began to slide from the corner of her eye and down her cheek... but even more aware of Inuyasha's thumb hat gently wiped it away. She looked up at him with a start.  
  
"You don't have to risk your life for me." He said with a frown.  
  
"I won't risk it if I have you to protect me." The words toppled from her mouth as she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. She felt him hesitate a moment before feeling him return the embrace. "I'm not gonna give up so easily."  
  
She suddenly raised her head to see him looking at her strangely. Kagome was just about to ask what the problem was when his head dipped and his lips found hers... just like the last time. Kagome was rendered completely speechless, but it was only a matter of seconds before she just sank against him and enjoyed herself.  
  
But unlike last time it wasn't being rushed, it was easy and gently... like he was trying to comfort and reassure her. They were just about to break apart when two police patrol cars shot past them, and screeched around a corner. Kagome broke away at once, brushing her hand across her mouth. "Where are they going?"  
  
They carried on and peered down the road the police had gone down from the corner of the street. Kagome gripped Inuyasha's arm tightly when she saw that they had both pulled to a halt outside the gates of her shrine and were now ascending the steps to the house.  
  
"Oh no..." Kagome whispered urgently. "They've found me..."  
  
she darted across the road before Inuyasha had a chance to steer her away, and started up the steps of the shrine after them. She was tackled quickly by Inuyasha and almost bodily picked up and carried back down. "Let go! My mom's in there!"  
  
"They won't hurt her! They're only looking for me and you!" Inuyasha struggled to keep a hold of her. "Don't just go and turn yourself in like this!"  
  
"But - Mom-!"  
  
"She'll be ok - we have to get out of here!" Inuyasha felt her go limp and dragged her back down the steps, away from the shrine and hid in the bushes down the road.  
  
"We should wait here until they go." Kagome muttered.  
  
"No... they'll be watching the house for you to do just that."  
  
Kagome frowned. "Then where are we supposed to go...?"  
  
Inuyasha didn't have the answer for that and she rested her forehead on her knees and wrapped her arms around herself. It had been a fretful day. Last night she'd been beaten up by a look-a-like and then she had almost been shot dead by the police no less. And now they had her house and she had no where to go. And on top of that she was developing jetlag from lack of sleep.  
  
"This just keeps getting better and better doesn't it?" she remarked sarcastically.  
  
"It is for me." Inuyasha replied.  
  
"Is someone there?"  
  
They both froze at the sound of a familiar voice on the pavement before them, and they could vaguely see a woman standing there, looking confused.  
  
"No... no one here..." Kagome called.  
  
"Are you Kagome Higurashi?"  
  
Kagome paused a moment before scrambling out of the bush, seeing that her ears weren't tricking her. "Miss Koshi?"  
  
The older woman looked a little sombre. "I saw what happened down the road at the festival."  
  
"Y-you did...?"  
  
"A lot of people did."  
  
Inuyasha chose that moment to emerge behind Kagome as well, staring openly at his mother. Yashira switched her gaze to Inuyasha and smiled weakly, but it just looked a little forced. "I've decided that I should help you... and since you no longer can go home..." she looked up the road at the police cars. "Would you like to lodge at my home for a while?"  
  
"You'll help us?" Kagome was overjoyed. Things suddenly looked a lot better.  
  
Yashira Koshi smiled and nodded. "I can't abandon my own son."  
  
Inuyasha smiled a little at this.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"During my time at the institute, I heard a lot of whispers and rumours going about... it's hard not to ignore them - er, sugar with your tea, Kagome?" Miss Koshi offered her some.  
  
"Um... no thanks..." Kagome turned down quickly, eager to get on with the whole helping thing that Inuyasha's mother was offering.  
  
"I only went there in the first place because my father pressured me into getting a job - but I had no skills or proper education because I came from such a broken home and family." She shook her head, remembering her foolishness. "I thought it was perfect. A load of money in exchange for becoming surrogate to a couple's child who couldn't have a baby themselves."  
  
Kagome glanced at Inuyasha who was quietly staring at the floor.  
  
"I had no idea they would... they lied to me..." she sighed and ran a hand through her fine hair. "But I thought it would still be ok... they didn't abuse me physically... and I thought I could just give up the child in the end and go... but then I didn't realise or expect that I'd..."  
  
She didn't complete the sentence... but Kagome knew that what she meant was that she hadn't expect to fall in love with her own child?  
  
"They took him away the minute you were born." She looked up at Inuyasha who slowly inched his gaze up to meet hers, uneasy waves just pouring off him. "But before I left I learnt some of the weaknesses of the institute."  
  
"Such as?" Kagome leaned forward slightly, eyes wide.  
  
"The institute is a branch of the government, investing in what should have been a little genetic tinkering for the sake of advancing science. But they've been hiding what they do from the rest of the government... and if the government finds out what they've been doing then there will be serious hell to pay."  
  
"You mean if... if we went to the government with our evidence then they would call a halt to the testing and engineering?" Kagome asked eagerly.  
  
She nodded. "But not just any part of the government. There are covert branches of secret services that they fear the most. Tell them and Central Science Laboratories will surely be closed down for good and all the subjects freed."  
  
Kagome processed this. It was a little on the large scale for little old her.  
  
"But..." Miss Koshi hadn't finished apparently.  
  
"But what?" Inuyasha asked, speaking for the first time.  
  
She glanced briefly at him, worry clear in her eyes. "But the head organiser... I think... Naraku is his name... he's not stupid. He will almost certainly have thought ahead and planted moles in the other agencies of the government. If any information leaks to his enemies then his moles within the other agencies will snap up the information and destroy the evidence before it gets too far."  
  
"Like the police did." Kagome winced a little. "So if we go to one of the agencies we might get closed down?"  
  
"Yes... unless you keep it very secret and very safe... telling only a few agents. They should listen to your reasons... and hopefully... the truth should be exposed."  
  
Kagome sat back with a sigh and a small smile. "Where do I find one of these agencies then?"  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: wow... I'm having trouble keeping the plot in solid shape as it is... if you're confused, you're not the only ones... @.@ Just so you know, I haven't been completely wasting my weekend here, I AM a very fast writer (and if I didn't have spell check on this thing then you probably wouldn't be able to get past the first paragraph without thinking I was writing in Spanish or something) and I only spend an hour a morning or so writing a new chapter each day...  
  
Be warned I've got this all mapped out in my head so I don't suffer writers block halfway through the story, people say you shouldn't map stories out before you write because it takes the thrill away. What can I say? I'm abnormal, ok? But for those who hate suspense and really bad cliff-hangers, watch out for the next chapter, because you won't like it - 'Alone'. () 


	16. Alone

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN INUYASHA!!! HAPPY????!!!  
  
(A/N: if you couldn't tell by my disclaimer: I feel a little stressed out. So after this I plan to chill and lie on my bed for a little while and listen to whales screech at each other on my stereo. J/K. But remember! I did warn you about how this chapter ends. BTW: I experienced my first earth quake last night - not huge - but it was quite weird!)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price of Freedom  
  
Alone  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome entered through the glass doors and nervously looked around the layout of the foyer. It was rich looking... lots of glass and shiny marbles floors, with an emblem of the agency in a mosaic pattern on the floor before her. There were an awful lot of people dressed in suits and formal wear... and here she was in her little white summer dress with a denim jacket.  
  
She made her way straight to the desk. She was impressed that the receptionist had one of those cool little earpieces to talk into so it looked like she was talking to herself instead of actually on the phone. She looked up as Kagome approached and just stared at the younger girl with a little surprise. "May I... help you?" she offered.  
  
"Hi, I've got some information that's vital for national security," that always had a ring to it.  
  
The woman opened her mouth, obviously about to say something to that, when sudden recognition flicked in her eyes as she noticed Kagome's bruised and battered face. "Hey - aren't you that girl from the six-o'clock news?"  
  
Kagome nodded glumly. Yep, her mangled face had been splashed over TV screens everywhere - and they were all calling her crazy and mentally unstable. Probably knocked silly after a bitch fight or something.  
  
"Didn't they say that you were crazy-"  
  
"But I'm not!" Kagome interrupted. "Central Science Laboratories ARE using test subjects for their research and they DID do this to me when I went to grab some evidence!"  
  
"Can I see the evidence."  
  
Kagome handed over the second set of photocopied images to the woman, mindful that she had a third set back with Inuyasha at his mother's house, just in case what happened at the police station happened again here.  
  
The receptionist leafed through the images, her eyes growing a little wider. "Wow..." she handed them back to Kagome and cleared her throat. "I think it's best if I took you to one of the agents."  
  
"I want confidentiality as well." Kagome said as the woman came around the desk.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I only want to speak to one or two agents - I don't want everyone here to know." Kagome said quickly as she jogged after the woman who seemed to be power-walking away.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Of course." Kagome muttered and allowed herself to be led down a corridor to one of the top agent's offices.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"So how is it that you are the only one to have escaped?" Yashira asked her son across the kitchen table.  
  
He stared glumly at his cup of tea, not understanding why he was so edgy around this woman. "I learnt that if I slipped a bit of cloth between the lock on the door before it closed then it wouldn't lock completely and it could be opened. It was fairly easy to escape after that."  
  
That was a major understatement.  
  
"How did you find Kagome?"  
  
"She found me, on a beach..." he didn't want to go into all the details of his problems back then. "She helped me recover from my wounds and everything."  
  
He looked up, noticing that she was staring at him. "What?" he asked bluntly.  
  
"Nothing... it's just..." she smiled and reached out tenderly to touch his jaw. "I never even imagined you would grow up so fine... until the first time a saw you yesterday, I had always pictured you as my baby son that I'd lost..."  
  
Inuyasha's brow wrinkled in a frown. "Of course I'd grow up." He remarked.  
  
"But you could have died when you were two and I would never had known, would I?" she dropped her hand, her eyes still warm and smiling at him. "I couldn't bring myself to have another baby after... after all that had happened..."  
  
Inuyasha's face softened a little. "I'm sorry."  
  
"It wasn't your fault - it was never your fault, Yasha." She'd been dropping the 'Inu' part of his name for a while now... but strangely he didn't seem to mind. It probably reminded her too much of what his real purpose was to be. She probably wanted to forget.  
  
"What happened after I was taken away from you, then?" Inuyasha asked suddenly.  
  
"Well... they shipped me off the island and handed me my fortune and told me never to breath a word... and told me about one of my fellow surrogate mothers who had mysteriously passed away as soon as she'd gone to the police." She shuddered. "I was scared... I admit it... so I just took the money and moved away from the coast and into the city where I hoped they would never find me."  
  
Inuyasha watched the play of negative expressions on her face as she spoke.  
  
  
  
"I toyed with the idea of telling someone about what had happened... and I imagined that somehow, I would be able to hold you in my arms for the first time." She sniffed and at once Inuyasha started to have another panic attack. Why did girls have to be so wimpy?! "I was verging on going to the agency myself... but then they came round, telling me they were checking up on me... and they could see what I was doing every minute of everyday... the scared me... so I just gave up hope... but here you are..."  
  
She was struggled not to cry, but her chin was wobbling and her eyes with shinning brightly. Yashira suddenly got out of her chair and went to embrace him strongly, clinging to him like he was her lifeline. He was taken a bit by surprise and fought to urge to pull back. She was still a stranger to him. He'd never much wondered about who his mother had been... after all... he'd had several mothers... why would the surrogate mother stand out.  
  
But he realised... she'd been the one to give him life... he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her.  
  
"I've missed you so much... my heart broke when they took you away from me... I loved you so much..." she sobbed onto his shoulder. "And here you are...all grown up and strong and handsome... and... and free... and alive and..."  
  
She broke down into sobs and Inuyasha felt a lump forming in his throat. 'No... I won't cry... I won't cry... I won't cry...' it was a close call, but he managed to push the prickly feeling in his eyes away and embraced his mother back who just broke down into even more heart wrenching sobs.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Kagome sat patiently at the end of a large mahogany table, tapping her fingers against the wooden surface slowly. She'd been sat in what looked like a boarding room where meetings took place... and had been told by the receptionist to wait for the agents. Apparently she'd be meeting with the top agents in command, with little chance of them being moles. There were only five of them anyway.  
  
Suddenly the door opened and four men and a woman entered the room and started taking seats without so much as a smile in her direction. Kagome scanned each face... each looked ordinary and very business like... but then her gaze froze on the end man's face.  
  
It was Dr Naraku.  
  
The receptionist entered after the five agents had taken their seats at the opposite end of the table. "Kagome Higurashi this our the leading agents in our organisation." She introduced them one at a time. "Agent Yasuro, Agent Sesshomaru, Agent Sakutaro, Agent Kagura and Agent Naraku."  
  
Kagome couldn't take her eyes away from Naraku who was regarding her casually, like he'd really never seen her before. So... he was a spy...  
  
"I hope they help you in whatever way you need." The woman smiled and left the meeting room.  
  
"So Miss Higurashi," Agent Sesshomaru started off at once, apparently leader in this little organisation. "We hear you've been having a little trouble with a little science institute off the coast."  
  
Kagome kept right on staring at Naraku. Though they seemed oblivious to where her attention lay.  
  
"We'd like to introduce, Agent Naraku - he is also a Doctor in science and head of the institute you are referring to." Agent Sesshomaru didn't even crack a smile. "And he assures us that there is nothing of what you refer to going on in his institute."  
  
Kagome narrowed her eyes at the challenging look Naraku sent her. He couldn't hurt her here... not with so many good guys around... and it gave her more courage than she normally would have summed up alone in his presence. "He's lying." Yep. That's as far as Kagome's courage went right then.  
  
A few wry smiles passed across the agents faces before her, all except Sesshomaru's. "We are fairly sure he is not, Miss Higurashi. We have been down to the island many a time and we assure that technology and science just hasn't gotten as far as even cloning humans or engineering sheep. It's just impossible... and may not ever be possible - no offence Naraku."  
  
"None taken."  
  
Kagome didn't miss the arrogant little smirk in his eyes though, and narrowed her own in response. "He's a spy. He's lying to you - he knows that if you know the truth you will shut them down and sent him to prison."  
  
"I am offended, Miss Higurashi. I have never met you before, and you are already saying rather crude things about me." Naraku said coolly.  
  
"You want crude - I'll give you crude!" Kagome stood up.  
  
"Sit down." Agent Sesshomaru said at once.  
  
Kagome flopped back down onto her seat like her legs had just obeyed his orders without asking her first.  
  
"I think..." Sesshomaru stated slowly, almost apologetically. "That there's been some sort of misunderstanding here. Miss Higurashi... I don't know how you learnt of the Science labs off the coast... but you appear to be a little concussion... perhaps your injuries-"  
  
"I know what happened." Naraku interrupted, as Sesshomaru shot him a dagger glare. Kagome noticed at once the friction between to two top agents. "There was an explosion on my island... an accident... I assume some debris floated across the waters to the mainland where Kagome Higurashi - currently on holiday at the time, found it. She must have injured herself later on and seems to have found her own deluded story."  
  
There was a moment before the female agent spoke. "Seems a little far fetched." She said icily, regarding Naraku with what could have been taken as contempt. Kagome was willing to suspect it was a deep-seated loathing.  
  
"So far fetched it could be true though." One of the other male agents shrugged.  
  
Kagome gaped at them. "I'm not lying! I've seen it all with my very own eyes! Look!" she dumped the pictures on the table for them to look at.  
  
They picked them up at once and Naraku snorted. "Falsified!" he declared.  
  
"They're not!" Kagome protested.  
  
"Any five year old with access to an editing program would be able to forge these - and I suspect you're fairly good with computers, aren't you." He told with acid in his tone only she seemed to have heard. He was only saying that because she'd been good enough to learn how to print the images of surveillance off.  
  
"But these people... creatures in these pictures..." Agent Kagura frowned.  
  
"Just kids in Halloween get-up is all." Naraku dismissed.  
  
"You're only saying that because you don't want to be found out." Kagome hissed.  
  
"That's enough!" Agent Sesshomaru suddenly stood up. "Our agency is not to be made a mockery out of, Miss Higurashi, and neither is our fellow science research facility of Agent Naraku's."  
  
Kagome quieted. They weren't going to listen to her.  
  
"I think it's best if we end the discussion and investigation here and now before someone gets humiliated." Sesshomaru gave her a pointed look here. "I think we should all call it a day."  
  
Naraku looked triumphant as he left the room, and the agents filed out one by one, Sesshomaru going last. Kagome looked up... but just couldn't let this one fly. "Agent Sesshomaru?!"  
  
"What is it?" he turned uncaringly back to face her.  
  
"Of course Naraku would say he's innocent no matter what... you can't dismiss this just because of something he says." Kagome said urgently. "Please... He just said that he's never met me before, let alone heard of me, then how come he knew that I was on holiday by the coast? And how come he knew I was good with computers?"  
  
It made sense, and a light frown creased Sesshomaru's perfect face. "Yet the evidence you sport is not conclusive."  
  
"But it's not forged." She thrust something from her bag under his nose.  
  
The older agent took the sheet of paper and unfolded it. It was another one of the images she'd given them... but it held something more shocking. Even though it was ripped in half and had been carefully taped back together, it was still fairly obvious what it was showing. It looked like a delivery room... of a hospital. A child was being whisked away from a mother who was straining to get up and follow... and in the background stood Naraku, by the door, with a sign almost hidden behind him saying 'Central Science Laboratories'.  
  
"What is this?"  
  
"It's what happens down there." Kagome said stiffly. "Why else would a baby be being born in a laboratory... and look... it has scales."  
  
Sesshomaru took this in silently before folding it and putting it in his pocket. "You put a strong case forward... and I believe... that maybe your fears are not just fears after all." He pulled a card from his pocket and wrote on the back with a pen. "This is my private number... call me if you need anything. Meanwhile, I shall launch a private investigation on the lab... I won't inform anyone else of this."  
  
Kagome breathed a shaky sigh of relief. "Thank you... I can't express how much I-"  
  
"Then don't." he said shortly, looking half bored. "You better be getting off to wherever you live now. It's getting dark."  
  
"Thank you." She repeated again and left, her spirits higher than they had been in a long time.  
  
For the first time she felt that she was getting somewhere... she'd finally found someone who held a power over the man she'd thought had no equal in power. Maybe now she was on the road to freeing Inuyasha for good.  
  
She walked past an office and heard a familiar voice from within. She paused and backpeddled a little to peek inside. She gasped and hid when she saw it was Dr Naraku... apparently on the phone... or just talking to himself. But she had a feeling he was into those hand free kits.  
  
"Yes... yes... I am serious... no... a warning... and the Inu... good... and the surrogate...?... even better... yes... yes..."  
  
Kagome could only hear one side of the conversation... and so far it didn't make a lot of sense. She didn't want to hang around Naraku too long either... the evil just seemed to radiate off him in powerful vibes... so she left quickly and started on her way back to Inuyasha's mother's house.  
  
Sesshomaru was right, seeing as it was growing dark fairly rapidly. And at first she had trouble navigating her way home because the streets looked so different when it was dark. And what was even worse... she had this spine tingly feeling that someone was watching her - which was ridiculous because she was alone.  
  
She took the tram - which was far less crowded in the evening then it was during the day at rush hour and kept looking around. But the carriage was completely empty... yet she still felt uneasy. An unwanted feeling when she felt so enlightened now.  
  
She got off at the right stop, and headed towards the house she would be staying at, eager to see Inuyasha and tell him the great news.  
  
She heard a scuffle of boots on paving stone behind her and glanced over her shoulder to see two lean men following unerringly close behind her. She ignored them, and carried on her way, resisting the urge to speed up because she was scared. She was being silly. And besides, they were going to pass her anyway.  
  
But they didn't pass her.  
  
Two sets of hands grabbed her roughly and shoved her hard against the wall so fast that she lost her balance and nearly fell from the grip - which wouldn't have been a bad thing under those circumstances. "I don't have any money!" she said quickly.  
  
"We don't want money!" one said coldly.  
  
Another terrifying though occurred to her. "And don't even think about raping me because... because I'm really a man!"  
  
One snorted. "We know you're not a man."  
  
How did they know? She suddenly felt very queasy and the urge to throw up was strong. But she told herself to not be a complete wuss and to hold it together a little longer.  
  
"We've been sent as messengers." The other told her.  
  
"From Naraku himself."  
  
"It better not be a valentines message." She said lightly. "I hate those..."  
  
"Now we're going to ask you one question. And if you get it wrong, we're going to slit your throat right here, right now."  
  
Kagome gulped. "Just as long as it isn't about maths... I can't do math..."  
  
"Are you Kagome Higurashi?"  
  
"Uh... yeah..." though maybe she shouldn't have said that.  
  
"Good. Naraku wants you to stay away from the agency. He says if you continue then you'll do yourself more harm than good." One gripped her throat tightly. "Got that?"  
  
She was suffocating, so she nodded quickly.  
  
"No running to the police now, you hear? Cause he'll know the minute you enter the authorities building."  
  
Kagome nodded fervently again until they released her. She began coughing violently for air as the two men scampered away.  
  
At times like this she wished that Inuyasha could be her bodyguard twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and... she couldn't quite remember the number of days in a year at that moment.  
  
She straightened, rubbing her bruised throat and began to make her way back home... she wasn't far now. At least then she would be safe with Inuyasha again.  
  
When she got there, she ran up the steps to the front door and knocked on the door... but the second her knuckles touched the wood, the door creaked open... it hadn't been securely closed. She frowned and stared a moment before going inside. "You better be more careful about shutting the door, you two..."  
  
She entered the small living room and frowned... they weren't there... "Hello?"  
  
There was no answer, whatsoever, and then she suddenly realised the state of the house.  
  
Everything was a mess.  
  
The furniture was ripped and tipped over and the pictures on the wall were either crooked or smashed on the floor into the carpet. Books and magazines were strewn everywhere, the pages ripped, and the contents of drawers had been tipped out onto anything and everything. Kagome quickly ran from room to room, trying to find Inuyasha or Yashira, but all she found was more destruction... until she came to a very horrifying sight in the kitchen...  
  
There was blood... a lot of it... and it was everywhere. Hands prints had streaked it across the walls and it lay in pools on the floor and on the cupboards and table. But whose was it? Yashira's or Inuyasha's?  
  
They were gone... there was nothing but blood and destruction in their wake. Kagome could feel her heart squeezing painfully and thudding maddeningly against her rib cage. Then she saw a little white note that had been carefully pinned to the fridge, it had fingerprints of blood in it. She snatched it up and read it at once. 'This is the price he paid for freedom'.  
  
"No..." she could feel her insides trembling with fear. Her hands were shaking violently and she couldn't see the words properly anymore... mainly because he eyes were glazing over with tears.  
  
She let out a strangled sob and sank to the floor with more emotional pain than physical. "No!" she slammed her fist against the ground and screamed. Her fist splattered against the blood, causing flecks to stain her dress and face. But she didn't care... she'd never mind Inuyasha's blood... not ever...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: I'm so sorry...) 


	17. Infiltration Take 2

Disclaimer: see chap one for details.  
  
(A/N: Don't worry! It's not the end of the story yet! I hate sad stories they make me want to cry and the last thing I want to do is write one just yet! ^_^ And for those people wondering why Kagome didn't show anyone Inuyasha (me included) I hope its explained in later chapters - Sango remarked in chapter 2 that the police aren't exactly going to treat someone like Inuyasha with utmost courtesy. Maybe Kagome's protected him from that too? Anyway! Here's a new chapter so don't kill me otherwise you won't get the rest of the story!!!)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price of Freedom  
  
Infiltration *Take 2*. (the third and final time I swear)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Would you like a drink?" the receptionist offered.  
  
"No."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"A magazine or something?"  
  
"No thanks..."  
  
"Something to eat?"  
  
"No thanks..."  
  
The receptionist sighed and gave up. "Ok... just push that button at the side of the bed if you need anything." She walked out of the visitors' room, leaving Kagome alone. She just sat on the bed and closed her eyes, trying to block out the amount of blood that she'd seen. But every time she closed her eyes she saw the whole scene in the kitchen etched onto her eyelids. She was forced to open them again and stare blankly at the wall... yet still all the blood seemed to drain her vision.  
  
Why couldn't she have been a normal girl, like her Grandpa had always wanted...? Why did she have to get involved with government secret agencies and spies and... and with Inuyasha...  
  
Her heart hurt so much that she thought there was something actually physically wrong with her. She'd never felt this bad. Not even when her grandmother had passed away.  
  
Kagome turned over so she was face down on the bed now. Her best thinking position, as it turned out. After about half an hour after finding the note she'd gone to a phone box (because the house phone had been smashed up) and called Agent Sesshomaru's personal number. He'd arranged for an escort to bring her straight to the agency at once... and it was all done without Naraku ever finding out.  
  
Of course... she'd come up with no real evidence that this was done by Naraku... but at least this proved that whatever she was involved in, was serious as hell. So now she'd been bundled into this room and so far only three people knew she was here - the receptionist, Sesshomaru, and the guy who had picked her up from the phone box to bring her here.  
  
Kagome sighed... Sesshomaru believed that Inuyasha was now dead... either that or the blood belonged to Yashira Koshi, who was dead. He was certain that at least one of them was dead anyway. Not a comforting thought.  
  
How long would she be stuck here? A day? A week? Until Naraku found out and sent a couple of assassins her way too?  
  
Suddenly the door opened and Agent Kagura came in. Kagome swung around to look at her, uncertain on whether she could trust this woman or not.  
  
Kagura nodded in greeting. "Hiding from Naraku?"  
  
Kagome didn't answer.  
  
"Agent Sesshomaru wants to see you in his office. He trusts me to take you there safely." Agent Kagura held the door open for her.  
  
Kagome only hesitated for a few moments before slowly getting up and allowing the woman to lead her out of the room. She moved surprisingly fast... but Kagome just didn't have the energy to move that fast.  
  
"Come on, Miss Higurashi... if anyone actually sees you then Sesshomaru won't be happy." Kagura grabbed her arm gently to get her moving. "Not even the sandwich boy is allowed to see you here."  
  
Kagome quickly realised that even Sesshomaru didn't want to trust anyone, and so let Kagura move her along faster, ducking down smaller corridors and away from crowded areas. Finally the meandered their way to Sesshomaru's office and went inside without a word. Kagome's eyes fell immediately on the guest also with Sesshomaru in the room.  
  
"Miss Higurashi... allow me to introduce our little walk-in." Sesshomaru said calmly and gestured to the young man before him. "This is-"  
  
"Kouga." Kagome gaped in shock.  
  
Kouga nodded grimly.  
  
"Why... why are you here?" Kagome looked around. "I thought they controlled you?"  
  
"They never actually said, 'don't defect'. So I take it that I can defect if I want to." Kouga said with a dry smile. "I know what happened to Inuyasha."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Please - if you could both sit down." Agent Sesshomaru dismissed Kagura with a wave of the hand and Kagome sat down, feeling like she was about to explode with the amount of questions she had for Kouga.  
  
"Miss Higurashi... I presume you've met Kouga before?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then you know what he is?"  
  
"He's one of the experiments... he's been engineered of a wolf." Kagome said quickly and looked at Sesshomaru. "See? He's living proof that I was telling the truth!"  
  
"We know. Kouga has explained it all to us." Agent Sesshomaru inhaled deeply before letting it out slowly. "We sent an agent to the labs a little while ago and he returned recently saying that he had inspected every centimetre of the institute and found nothing. Which is funny because he went undercover."  
  
"He's a mole." Kouga said simply.  
  
"We can't be sure. So we're going to have to send someone in who has a high security pass and knows their way around." The agent said evenly. "Kouga knows his way around and you Kagome... look an awful lot like a certain major Kikyo."  
  
"It's been done to death." Kagome said shortly - she was more eager to find out what had happened to Inuyasha and his mother.  
  
"That was before... they've apparently stepped up security a lot since you last tried to infiltrate, as Kouga says, and you need more that passing similarity to get in there."  
  
"You need codes, cards, fingerprints, blood samples and retina scans to get into the deeper part of the base where all the evidence is." Kouga told her.  
  
"We want you to go there, with a camera and microphone and be able to transmit the data you receive as soon as you find it. We'll be here, showing all the superiors - save for Naraku - and if you show us what we need to see then we'll organise a takedown attack on the island."  
  
"That's great." Kagome frowned. "But... what about Inuyasha."  
  
Sesshomaru looked to Kouga and nodded. Kouga glanced uneasily at Kagome, concern in his eyes for her. "He's been recaptured... as had his mother. Miss Koshi is lined up to be executed and Inuyasha has been moved to isolation after killing one of the men who captured him."  
  
"So the blood in the house...?" Kagome whispered.  
  
"Belong to one of Naraku's men."  
  
Kagome breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"But... he's not looking too good." Kouga went on. "As soon as I saw him in isolation I decided enough was enough... and I came here."  
  
"What's happening to him in isolation?" Kagome wanted to know. Half dreading the answer.  
  
Kouga was about to answer before Sesshomaru cut him off. "It's best to leave that unsaid... he'll be released from there soon enough if you are successful."  
  
"Oh..." Kagome frowned slightly.  
  
"Meanwhile, Kouga has offered to teach you how to act more like Major Kikyo and meanwhile, I'll get some trusted agents to work on getting you the codes and security passes you will need to get through the institute."  
  
"Ok..."  
  
But she couldn't help wonder what was happening to Inuyasha.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"I'm sorry ma'am but I don't have any mashed potato left."  
  
"That's ok, I'll have the chips instead-"  
  
"No Kagome!" Kouga sighed. "If you want to pass as Kikyo - you have to act like her! Kikyo would never accept that she should be denied something."  
  
"Because she's a spoilt brat?" Kagome guessed.  
  
"Well done." Kouga shook his head. "Ok... from the top. I'm sorry ma'am but I don't have any mashed potato left."  
  
"Are you sure she likes potato?"  
  
"Just... get on with it?"  
  
"Uh - that's unacceptable! I must have mashed potatoes! Go out to a farmer and get some this minute and mash them up and serve them fresh - or I'll have you fired!" she was just messing about and was totally shocked when Kouga said -  
  
"That's good. Now let's work on her walk." Kouga said. "Remember - she always walks with one foot in front of the other - she never hurries - and when she stands she just stands."  
  
"Like this?" Kagome did a little shaky walk across the room and then stopped to stand.  
  
"Mm... the walk was right - but she's steadier than that. And you have to stand stiffly and primly - no slouching. And no looking at your feet as you do that either."  
  
"Damn you're a tyrant..."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I said I need a tyre iron." She glared at him pointedly.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"And these just paste onto your digits like so..." the doctor commented as he sloshed sticky liquid over her fingers and started to press the fake skin with the Kikyo finger prints over her own. "And they should stay on for a good twenty four hours... now... these are the contacts you'll have to wear - grey coloured."  
  
Kagome took all of this in as she sat on the hospital bed.  
  
"We'll have the shape your eyebrows a bit differently... hers are a little more forced into a frown." Kouga commented from behind the doctor.  
  
"And a birth mark goes on your elbow... and a beauty spot just under your left ear..." the doctor ticked off the check list. "I also have to give you a scar under your chin and... cut your hair a little."  
  
Kagome paled.  
  
"Good! And the pale face thing is perfect." The doctor clapped his hands. "I don't think there's anything else we need to change."  
  
"Her scent." Kouga spoke up.  
  
"What about it?" Kagome said defensively.  
  
"They have sniffer dogs at the entrance - they'll be able to tell a strangers scent from Kikyo's in an instant."  
  
"Well... I don't know what we can do about that." the doctor frowned.  
  
Kouga dug into his pocket and held a little perfume bottle out. "Evening Flower. That's the scent she wears. It covers her own scent and it should cover yours. And you'll smell exactly like her."  
  
"Wow... you're thoughtful." Kagome took the bottle. "Where'd you get it?"  
  
"I swiped it from her purse when she wasn't looking. I also took her security swipe card and made a copy of it for you. Sesshomaru has that and Agent Kagura is waiting to give you the security codes to memorise."  
  
Kagome closed her eyes briefly, hoping that she could juggled all this. This was a big mission... this was the big league... and hundreds of people's lives were depending on her to do this right. If she failed then she would not only doom them, but also herself.  
  
It was a lot to rest on the shoulders of one ditzy sixteen-year-old girl.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Agent Sesshomaru asked for what seemed the hundredth time as they stood on the beach with Kouga preparing the boat to cross the water. "It's not your responsibility to handle. You can always go back home if you wish."  
  
"It's my problem now. I can't go home safely until this institute goes down in flames." Kagome said sternly. Besides... she couldn't abandon Inuyasha... not now... not ever...  
  
Sesshomaru sighed and handed her a little earpiece that slotted into her ear. "This is so you can hear our instructions and communicate with Kouga. The badge on your jacket has the camera and the microphone. DON'T damage it."  
  
"Because then you wouldn't receive the data you need?"  
  
"No. Because they cost money." He shook his head and headed away. "Now get out of here."  
  
Kagome nodded and hurried over to Kouga and the boat. "We ready to go?"  
  
"Just after I patch these holes."  
  
Kagome stared at him and he grinned. "Only kidding, let's go."  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
The journey was fairly quick and when they reached the island they moored away from the pier and out of sight. Kouga switched on his own microphone, camera and earpiece. "I'll go first and you wait here in the boat until I make sure that Kikyo doesn't pose a problem."  
  
"By what means?" Kagome asked suspiciously.  
  
"I'll just tie her up and lock her in a cupboard or something and then I'll tell you when it's safe to come along." He darted off into the night and Kagome sat, huddled and cold in the damp boat, listening to the water slap gently against the side.  
  
Only fifteen minutes later she heard a static crackle in her ear and jumped. "She's secured. You can come now."  
  
Kagome carefully climbed out of the boat and started to make her way towards the path heading for the entrance gate. There were still two guards posted at the entrance, but now they had two dogs on leashes. Two rather big German Shepherds at that.  
  
"Name?" one guard asked with boredom as she arrived.  
  
"Major Kikyo."  
  
"Hold out your hand." Kagome complied without much delay and allowed them to place her hand on a scanning machine. Kagome waited anxiously. If there was one single digit wrong on her hand then she'd been caught.  
  
"Ok... go through." The guard allowed her past and the dogs sniffled at her a moment but seemed to recognise the smell of her rich perfume.  
  
Kagome breathed deeply and moved on to the entrance doors of the base. There, they made her do a retinal scan of her eye... before allowing her in without question.  
  
It was all going swimmingly. Now all she had to do was act like she was having an average Kikyo day and head about doing her stuff. So she walked around aimlessly for a good quarter of an hour. There was a crackle in her ear before Agent Sesshomaru spoke. "Where are you going?"  
  
"I don't know." She said casually. The scientist passing her gave her a weird look and she glared at him. "What, I'm talking to the voices in my head, you got a problem with that?"  
  
He shook his head quickly and moved on. Kagome congratulated herself silently on doing a very good impression of Kikyo, and carried on doing the graceful elegant walk that she'd perfected over the last week.  
  
"Ok, this is all very interesting and all, but we haven't seen much to suggest your theory is correct, Miss Higurashi." Sesshomaru told her sarcastically.  
  
Kagome grabbed the attention of another passing scientist. "Excuse me, do you know where Yashira Koshi is being held?"  
  
"Yeah sure... down the hall, second turn on the left, room thirty-one." The scientist told her helpfully.  
  
Kagome didn't even smile as she normally would when she muttered her thanks and headed in the direction he'd shown her. Down the corridor and two left turns later she found the room... or more like the cell...  
  
She took out her swipe card and slotted it through the device on the lock before opening the door and sliding the manual bolt out of the way. Inside was a rather pale and traumatised looking woman... it was definitely Miss Koshi. She looked up at Kagome and sneered resentfully. "Oh it's you again."  
  
"No - I'm Kagome." She hurried to the woman's side who just snorted in a very Inuyasha characteristic way.  
  
"Fool me twice and I'm the fool." She replied evenly.  
  
"No seriously - the agency you directed me to is helping me out."  
  
"Prove it." Yashira looked at her sceptically.  
  
"Um... you slammed the door on my face when I first turned up with Inuyasha." Kagome smiled. "I resent that you know."  
  
"My god... how did you get in... y-you have to get out of here before they get you too." She clasped Kagome firmly by the shoulders. "Save yourself, girl."  
  
"I have to save you and Inuyasha first."  
  
The older woman looked pained. "It's too late... they have him in isolation... nothing can ever break out of there... go..."  
  
Kagome stood and walked to the door. "I'll come back for you before I go, ok?"  
  
"Just go and don't come back. Don't throw yourself to the dogs like this."  
  
Kagome didn't want to listen to her anymore... just in case she was swayed by Yashira's argument. So she went on, trying to find some incriminating evidence.  
  
Suddenly a man stopped her in the corridor. "Major Kikyo, I've been looking for you - I thought you wanted to come see specimen three-two-nine."  
  
"Three-two-nine?" Where'd she heard that before.  
  
"It's a rather interesting discovery I must say, come along, girl." He swept off and Kagome followed him, careful not to hurry in an un-Kikyo like fashion. He led her into a dark room filled with other scientists and doctors - basically anyone in a white coat.  
  
And the room was dark for a reason because they all seemed to looking through a tinted glass window into a very much brighter room. It was a one- way mirror, that was for sure. Kagome stood close to the front and peered through the window curiously. There were men in military wear and tranquilliser guns stationed around the room... but for no apparent reason... since the specimen hadn't arrived yet.  
  
Suddenly a hush went around the dark room as a door in the bright room opened and two men in white coats entered, followed by Inuyasha in plain cotton white clothes, and being pushed along by a burly man who had a twisting grip on his shoulder that had to have been painful... but Inuyasha just looked blank. Kagome's breath caught in her throat at the sight and she heard a faint crackle in her ear, but no one spoke.  
  
Inuyasha was shoved down into a chair, still looking a little too vacant to be normal, and the two doctors began attaching electrode pads to his temples and hands.  
  
Kagome could only gape in shock and horror. What was she supposed to do now?  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: well just be thankful he isn't dead. Next chapter - 'A Fiery End') 


	18. A Fiery End

Disclaimer: e-mail me if you aren't sure what I mean by 'I don't own Inuyasha'  
  
(A/N: I am definitely up to my eyeballs in ants - They're everywhere!!!)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price of Freedom  
  
A Fiery End  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"Specimen 'three-two-nine I' has been somewhat of a controversial matter the past few weeks as he has been the first subject to ever escape, and hopefully the last." A man standing to her right narrated the test in the other room. Frankly, Kagome found it annoying.  
  
She watched as the electrode wires were hooked up to a box with buttons and papers were delivered in front of a still rather quiet Inuyasha, along with a pencil.  
  
"While we believed that he had his spirit broken before, it appears that he has undergone a mental change in his absence. And while his Intelligence Quota has apparently-"  
  
"What's that?" Kagome asked innocently.  
  
The man gave her a strange look. "IQ, Major."  
  
Kagome mentally slapped herself - she'd said a very Kagome like thing there.  
  
"Anyway... while his Intelligence Quota has not increased a lot (Kagome resented the chuckles at this comment) it appears that his EQ is subject to query."  
  
"EQ?" Kagome frowned slightly.  
  
"Yes, Major. EQ - it stands for Emotional rather than Intelligence in IQ. And its level seems to have increased."  
  
"What is EQ?" Kagome said again.  
  
"His perception of emotions in others. It seems that he has grown more perceptive in general. We've done a test on him to prove this."  
  
"Then what is this test for?" Kagome asked, turning her gaze back to where the doctor's were forcefully making Inuyasha hold the pencil and make him start to write. One of the doctors was even twisting one of his ears and whispering something nasty into it.  
  
"He has never killed before..." the man said solemnly. "This test is for his endurance."  
  
"Endurance of what?" Kagome asked once more.  
  
Inuyasha dropped the pencil deliberately again and a doctor touched something on the box connected to the electrodes. Suddenly Inuyasha flinched and jolted almost all the way out of his chair. Kagome also started in response.  
  
"Hey - I think there's something wrong with the device... it's short- circuited or something." Kagome told the narrator to her right.  
  
The man just slanted a sneer at her... and she quickly realised that there was nothing wrong with the machine - it was supposed to do that. Now what was she supposed to do? Knock on the window and wave to Inuyasha? It wasn't like he would see her anyway. And if she went on a Bruce Willis moment and went and tried to break him free then she'd be found out.  
  
She was helpless to just sit and watch.  
  
"Get on with the test." Kagome heard one of the doctors clip Inuyasha around the ear with a hand and stuffed the pencil back in his fist.  
  
For a moment she saw Inuyasha narrow his eyes only briefly before lowering the tip to start to write.  
  
"What is the test for?" Kagome repeated. He would fail for sure if it were an English test.  
  
"To see how long it takes for him to crack. Last time the test went on for three days. The first time it only took thirty seconds."  
  
Kagome bit the inside of her cheek. Inuyasha flinched again as another electrical jolt shot through him and for a moment she thought that he was just going to get on with the test, until he stopped again and dropped his pencil. Another jolt spasmed through his body and the doctor in front of him said something too quiet for anyone in the observation room to hear. Inuyasha just stared at him with a mild glare. He was refusing to co- operate.  
  
"Notice how the subject challenges his orders." The narrating man spoke. Kagome scowled. They really did treat people like animals here. In fact she'd seen real lab rats that had been better treated than this.  
  
There was a muffled order delivered by one of the doctors who slammed his hand down on the table between him and Inuyasha, obviously trying to get some reaction. But Inuyasha's gaze had now slid from the man to the wall and was either ignoring him, or had lost interest in everything. Something inside Kagome's chest squeezed - most likely her heart.  
  
The doctor was getting very annoyed now, his patience running out. "Start the test!" he practically yelled in Inuyasha's face. Finally the specimen decided to take some interest in the man, but only gave him a plain look... looking neither scared, bored, or annoyed. Kagome had never seen him like this... what had they done to him? Had he always been this way before he'd escaped and become blind?  
  
There was a tense moment of absolute stillness and silence as everyone in both rooms held their breath to see what would happen. And finally something did happen - though it wasn't what Kagome had been hoping for.  
  
Inuyasha just picked up the pencil and got on with the test. The doctors shot grim looks in the direction of the one-way mirror. He wasn't snapping still... though Kagome doubted that he ever would.  
  
"So far... it appears that maybe he'd been deluding us." The narrator noted quietly. "He appears not to be rebelling as much as we'd thought."  
  
A doctors finger slowly pressed down on the console on the table and a rather large and long shock seemed to grip Inuyasha. He twitched and flinched before allowing himself to give in to a loud cry of pain. Kagome felt weak at the knees.  
  
The torture stopped and Inuyasha slipped off the chair without so much as a whisper of warning. One of the guards in the room with him simply stalked over and lifted him by the back of his shirt and set him upright in his chair, though he seemed a little out of it now.  
  
"Get on with the test." The doctors repeated, obviously trying to push him.  
  
  
  
Kagome brow furrowed as Inuyasha reached for the pencil the same moment the doctor reached for the console. She saw his eyes flick to where the doctor's hand was heading and suddenly swung his arm out and swiped the equipment off the table, ripping off the electrodes in the process.  
  
There was sudden chaos in the bright room as guards sprang forward to subdue him, but Inuyasha was going nuts. He'd managed to get the evil doctor on the floor and was punching him repeatedly and rather violently around the head.  
  
"Thus the test proves that Specimen 'three-two-nine I' has reverted to an earlier state of mind in his absence," the narrator said cheerfully. "It seems to have only taken him five minutes to crack. Very interesting."  
  
A chair rebounded against the two-way mirror and the observers in the dim room took a nervous step back as the glass pane shuddered. Kagome had had enough by now and stormed out of the room. It only took her a matter of moments to find the other room before throwing the door open, and yelling a halt to the activities within. "Stop this nonsense!"  
  
Inuyasha had been pinned to the floor, two men all but standing or kneeling on his back, and they still had trouble keeping him down. The doctor who was about to sedate him looked up at her quizzically. "What is the meaning of this interruption?"  
  
Good question...  
  
"Um..." Kagome quickly brought her Kikyo façade back into place. "Naraku wants to see you two right away... something about a lamp."  
  
"But we're busy."  
  
"I'll deal with him." She told them sternly.  
  
She should have expected the incredulous and offensive look they gave her. "Let him up this instant!"  
  
She was higher up in rank than them and they obeyed instantly. Kagome went and pulled the blind down over the one-way mirror and dismissed the soldiers standing guard with a single glare and a, "I'll handle this my way."  
  
As soon as they were gone and the door was closed she turned back to Inuyasha and opened her mouth to speak, only to find him suddenly spit on her cheek. She was stunned into silence.  
  
"Fucking whore bitch!" he snarled with such venom that she took a step back, about to cry... until she realised he was talking to Kikyo.  
  
"Ew... Inuyasha..." she wiped the spittle off her cheek and wiped it on her jacket carelessly, ignoring the weird look he gave her. "Is that the way you usually greet your saviours."  
  
He paused a moment before sneering at her. "No mind games, this time, bitch!"  
  
"Would you stop calling me that? My name is Kagome." She smiled. "Remember me?"  
  
He sniffed and carried on smirking. "Right, and I'm Marilyn Munroe's lost daughter."  
  
"Hey... how did you learn about her?" Kagome frowned, but halfway glad that he didn't seem to be hiding inside a shell like she'd observed only moments before. Stupid doctors had brought him straight back out of the place where they'd sent his mind.  
  
"You can't trick me to believe your Kagome, bitch." He looked past her. "What the fuck is that?!"  
  
"What?" she looked over her shoulder but scowled and turned back slowly when he snorted with laughter. "What's so bloody funny?"  
  
"You're such an ignorant cow." He said shaking his head.  
  
"Fine. You want me to prove I'm Kikyo, here's good proof." She leaned forward, aiming to kiss him. Inuyasha's eyes suddenly went wide and he leaned back quickly. She smiled quickly and stepped back to give him room. "What's the matter? Don't want to find out what kissing is like anymore?"  
  
"Kagome...?"  
  
"Duh." She smiled. "Took you about long enough didn't-"  
  
She was cut off rather quickly as he suddenly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a very heated and 'pleased to meet you' kiss. She was fairly used to them by now and happily closed her eyes to enjoy herself, simply loving the way his strong hands roamed her back. Then she suddenly realised something as they 'face-sucked' as Inuyasha so delicately put it.  
  
"Um... Inuyasha...?"  
  
"I've missed you so much..." he told her before sealing her lips with another kiss.  
  
"There's a camera up there." She mumbled against him.  
  
"So?"  
  
"So get away from me before they find out!" she shoved him back roughly. She also remembered that there was a whole agency listening in to their little conversation as well.  
  
She straightened her little uniform and cleared her throat. "Follow me, I'll get you out of here."  
  
No sooner had they taken two steps out of the testing room than three officers in military uniform came along, smirking. "I think we should take the specimen from here to his cell now."  
  
"But I haven't finished with him yet." Kagome protested.  
  
All three snorted in what she thought was a very childish manner, until she realised they must have just come done from the control room where they saw all...  
  
Kagome flushed red straight away. She'd be called a slut for ages now... wait... what did she care? They'd be calling Kikyo a slut now. Hooray for Kikyo... in whichever closet she was locked up in right then...  
  
They dragged a rather peeved looking Inuyasha away, leaving Kagome standing a little desolated in the middle of the corridor.  
  
"Ok, we've seen enough, you can come back now." She heard Sesshomaru statically crackle into her ear.  
  
Kagome discreetly raised a hand to shield her mouth as she spoke. "You're going to shut it down?"  
  
"Yes, we're sending a squadron right now - they should be there in an hour."  
  
"And get Inuyasha and everyone else free?" Kagome prodded.  
  
There was a crackle of static but nothing else.  
  
"Uh... could you repeat that?" she whispered quickly.  
  
"No."  
  
That was either a 'no' for I won't repeat that, or a 'no' we're not setting them free. "Sorry?"  
  
"No - we're not setting them free."  
  
Kagome did an emergency stop like an old person, getting in everyone's way at once. She quickly ducked to the side of the corridor before someone got too annoyed and pushed her out the way. "What do you mean you're not setting them free?"  
  
"They're unnatural and illegal. You wanted us to terminate the project - and that's what we're doing." He responded coolly.  
  
They were going to terminate everything... even after all she said about wanting to save Inuyasha.  
  
Her lips turned down at the edges and she ripped the earpiece from her ear and smashed it on the floor with her heel, followed by the camera and the microphone. So much for being the good guys. She seemed to be the only human being with morals in the world right then.  
  
And she was busy forming a plan in her head about how she was going to outwit two government agencies in one night... some serious brain resting would be needed in the morning. She checked her watch. Fifty minutes or so until the cavalry arrived. That gave her just about enough time.  
  
Kagome headed along the corridors, following the signs that directed her towards the isolation block. It wasn't difficult to find Inuyasha since his cell had a plate saying 'Three-Two-Nine-I' on the front. She swiped the lock with the card that Kouga had copied and entered.  
  
Inuyasha's head snapped up at once and Kagome's eyes slipped to the chain and cuffs that strapped to the corner of a cement bunk. "Please tell me you're here to set me free?"  
  
"Well..." She closed the door and looked around for cameras. There weren't any... well... any that were visible anyway. "Actually, I've got a better idea."  
  
Inuyasha sat up on the floor rather quickly. "What could be better than breaking me out of here?"  
  
"The agency I went to just told me that they plan to terminate all the subjects that have been created - including you and Kouga. So I've been thinking..."  
  
He got that worried look.  
  
"Oh, for heaven's sake, I come up with good ideas don't I?" she scolded him. "We wait until the agency come in with guns blazing and I'll be waiting in the control room. The minute they arrive I'll shut down all the locking systems in the cells, releasing all the prisoners. In the confusion, I think a lot of them will escape."  
  
Inuyasha just frowned.  
  
"Say something!" Kagome hissed, annoyed that he seemed reluctant to her idea.  
  
"It might work..."  
  
"It WILL work. It has to." Kagome said firmly. "You stay here, and when the doors unlock, run like the wind, ok?"  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"I'll get out as well."  
  
"I'll come for you."  
  
"Don't play hero."  
  
"Don't play heroine." He retorted.  
  
She was touched by his concern and she smiled. "It'll be fine, you'll see. You can get out of those cuffs on your own right?"  
  
"Um..." he flexed his wrists and bit his lip as he tried to force them apart. There was a squeaking sound as the iron stretched to the point of breaking, then he stopped. "I think so."  
  
"Good... because you'll need to be able to make a run for it the minute those doors open."  
  
"You're a good person, Kagome." He told her quietly. "I hope you realise that."  
  
"I must be. Crazy too if I really believe this is going to work." She smiled as she stroked a hand down the side of his face, it faltered slightly as he leaned into her touch. "I swore I'd never abandon you. I won't."  
  
If she did then the guilt would eat her alive for the rest of her natural life. She wouldn't bear it she knew she'd left Inuyasha in such a hellhole to perish. As she left she heard Inuyasha's words of encouragement. "Good luck."  
  
So then she made her way down to the control room, and after getting lost twice, she found the door was not only secured by a swipe card thing - but by someone behind it.  
  
"Rank, name and serial number please." Someone called as her swipe card failed to open the door.  
  
"Um... Major Kikyo, serial number, eight-four-two-two-five." She rattled off the numbers they'd forced her to memorise.  
  
She was allowed in at last. "Doctor Kurusei wants to see you two in his office." She made up blatantly.  
  
"Who?" both men frowned at her.  
  
"On the first floor?" Kagome contrived to look bewildered. "How can you not know who Dr Kurusei is?"  
  
"Er... of course we know him..." the two young men left in a confused state and she quickly locked the door behind them. She had roughly fifteen minutes before the cavalry arrived... plenty of time to sit tight and figure out how to unlock every door and prison cell in the base.  
  
Kagome puzzled here and there and mulled over the programs before finally deciding she had a rough idea of how to do it... first she had to draw up the electrical blue-print... and then... trash it... and then... run.  
  
Simple.  
  
Except when it was drawing into five minutes left, the door suddenly banged open, crashing against the wall behind it. Kagome spun around and came face to face with a rather angry, disgruntled, and bedraggled looking Kikyo, and behind her was Kouga, looking as usual, a little peeved but tolerant. And behind them both were dozens of the soldiers aiming their weapons at Kagome.  
  
For the first time in her life she had never seen so many guns... aimed at her no less. She was all but flattened against the control panel in an effort to shrink away.  
  
And from behind all those people then came Naraku himself, he stopped beside Kikyo and glared at Kagome with contempt. "I thought I'd given you fair enough warning!"  
  
Kagome didn't have the courage any more to spite him to his face and just stayed quiet, looking at Kouga. He'd been commanded to release Kikyo probably... she didn't blame him for this... not much anyway.  
  
"At times like this I wish I hadn't destroyed my secret camera." Kagome remarked quietly.  
  
Naraku froze and Kikyo's eyebrows drew down.  
  
"What did you say?" Naraku demanded in a low voice.  
  
"I just destroyed my secret camera... and the cavalry from the other agency you're playing mole in will be here in less than five minutes."  
  
"She's lying." Kikyo narrowed her eyes.  
  
"No she's not." Kouga said simply. And his word was good enough for everyone. They all knew he couldn't lie.  
  
Kikyo gaped at Kagome. "This whole institute... what have you done?"  
  
"The right thing for once." Kagome glared at her look-a-like spitefully. "You'll all be going to prison before morning breaks."  
  
Naraku suddenly burst into movement, taking Kagome by surprise and shoving her out of the way of the console. Kagome staggered to a stop beside Kikyo and turned to see what he was doing.  
  
"What are you doing, sir?!" Kikyo demanded, uneasily.  
  
"Setting self-destruct."  
  
"What?" the two girls said in unison.  
  
Naraku's hand slammed down on the return button on the keyboard and the ground trembled below them, while half the screens on the wall went blank. He turned back to his audience and smirked. "Have a nice day."  
  
And with that he swept out the room and was gone from sight. Kikyo reacted quicker than anyone else and ran to the console to try and undo what he had just done. "Shit..."  
  
"What the hell did he do?!" Kagome gaped.  
  
"There are small bombs planted randomly around the institute." Kouga told her slowly. "They're for the self-destruct... he's set them off..."  
  
"The doors are on lock down." Kikyo stepped back from the control panel and folded her arms. "No one can escape."  
  
"But the whole base is about to be engulfed in flames." Kouga growled at her.  
  
"That is my superior's choice," Kikyo snapped back at him coldly. "He must destroy the evidence no matter what... there will be nothing here to find when the other agency arrives in five minutes."  
  
Kagome blatantly shoved Kikyo aside now and tapped furiously away at the keyboard, trying to open all the automatically locked doors. "It needs a password!"  
  
Everyone, including the soldiers who had lowered their weapons by now, looked to Kikyo. Kouga frowned. "Give her the codes."  
  
"I don't know them." Kikyo said lightly.  
  
"But you're second in command!" Kagome cried. "You must know them!"  
  
"Sorry." She didn't sound too sincere there.  
  
Kagome scowled and went back to try and crack the password with all of the codes, passwords and numbers that she'd memorised. But none of them seemed to be working.  
  
Parts of the blueprint map on the screen before her were going red. Even Kagome knew what that meant. "The whole of the basement isolation floor has been destroyed." She looked up at the monitors above her head. "Fires are spreading to the first level..." Inuyasha was in the first level.  
  
"And to the nursery." Kouga commented casually, sliding a look at Kikyo who was glaring at the floor hard.  
  
"Major Kikyo..." Kagome said evenly. "We'll all die if you don't tell us those codes."  
  
Kouga was a little more forceful. "Do you want to die just because you're superior said so?!" he obviously felt less restrained than Kagome.  
  
"And what about you, Kouga? I tell you to sit here and die and you'll do it!" she snapped at him.  
  
"I have no choice-"  
  
"Stop speaking!"  
  
Kouga fell silent at once.  
  
Kagome glared at the older girl angrily. "You HAVE a choice! You can't compare yourself to him! Just tell me the codes and let us out!"  
  
"I can't!"  
  
Kagome had had enough of this cow and waltzed straight up to her and slapped her. Hard. Kikyo's head snapped around, and before she'd even brought it back up she returned the favour to Kagome - so hard that the poor girl staggered back. "Ow..." she hadn't expected her to hit back.  
  
A few of the men in the background were wincing, and probably a few wouldn't have minded a good bitch fight, save for the part that they were all about to die.  
  
"Why not just follow Naraku and escape?" Kikyo sneered, touching her pink cheek softly.  
  
Kagome ignored her own stinging skin and pointed to the screens behind her. "He's not going anywhere - he's just sitting in his office waiting to die."  
  
Everyone looked.  
  
"He intends to go down like a captain on his ship." Kouga remarked.  
  
"Shut up." Kikyo hissed. "We're not going to mutiny!"  
  
"Hey - do you guys want to mutiny and live - or die pointlessly?" Kagome called to the soldiers who shifted uncertainly. She wasn't going to point out just yet that if they did mutiny and live then they would be living in a little cell for the rest of their lives. But no need to turn them off the prospect just yet.  
  
Kagome spared a glance at the surveillance screens and frowned with anxiety. Smoke and flames were beginning to engulf the next level up and she could see the cell doors thumping in their frames as the inhabitants tried to break out. Inuyasha's cell was one of the more furiously pounding doors. And none of them could be freed unless Kikyo spilled the codes.  
  
"You're killing hundreds of humans as well, you know." Kagome turned back to Kikyo. "You're not just destroying the evidence. Have you ever lost anyone you loved."  
  
Kikyo raised her chin and glared at Kagome. "My parents. What of it?"  
  
"Think how many families all these people have... who will all feel the pain you suffered." That was assuming Kikyo even had a heart to care for her parents.  
  
Kikyo's eyes narrowed the slightest bit... something Kagome had said had obviously just struck a nerve. "I lost both my parents."  
  
"So? Losing one family member isn't enough?" Kagome scowled. "Naraku will kill us all if you don't open the locks..."  
  
There was a moments silence before Kikyo stepped up the console, took a deep breath and tapped in a brief code in the message box and pressed enter. There was a short buzzer sound that echoed through the corridors, and at once, every single door on the base with an electric lock came loose. Kagome saw Inuyasha's cell door burst open, along with every other door and a whole flood of people dressed in similar white clothes poured down the corridor towards the exits.  
  
Kagome didn't waste any more time on Kikyo and ran from the control room like every other soldier there. Against better judgement she ran deeper into the base, desperate to find Inuyasha.  
  
"Kagome!"  
  
She turned at once and saw him racing ahead of a stream of other hybrids that looked fairly human save for the odd differences. But it looked like he was running to keep from being trampled.  
  
"Keep moving!" he grabbed her as he flew past and hauled her along as well.  
  
Smoke was beginning to swamp the air, making it difficult to breathe, but they were nearly at the exits now, one more turn and they would all be free. Inuyasha kicked the manually locked doors open with one forceful blow and they all poured out in a flood of white.  
  
Almost at once they were greeted by a sight of flashing lights. The cavalry had arrived at last... and they all looked a bit busy capturing all the scientists and soldiers from the institute to be able to give chase to the rapidly departing hybrids.  
  
Inuyasha was about to take flight with Kagome as well when they both stopped and looked at each other at the same time, realising the same thing at once. "My mom..."  
  
"Go back..." she told him quickly. "Be careful..."  
  
"I will..." he turned to go.  
  
"I love you." It slipped out before she could stop it and she saw him hesitated a moment, but without looking back he plunged on.  
  
Kagome wasn't about to even try and stop him, and seeing as that it would be better if she didn't go after him, she ran as well, shedding the jacket and shoes and unpinning her primly held up hair. No one noticed her escape because they'd already captured the only woman that was supposed to have been on base.  
  
  
  
  
  
^_^  
  
  
  
  
  
Despite the smog that was rapidly engulfing the corridors, obscuring his senses, he could still pick up a faint trail that belonged to Yashira... his mother. Why hadn't she escaped like the rest had done? What was keeping her?  
  
He had to weave around the network of corridors, unwillingly running deeper into the base than should have been attempted. The floor beneath him was hot to step on, meaning the floor below must have flames licking the ceiling tiles. It wouldn't be long before they ate through the level divide and broke into the next floor. And if he hadn't found his mother by then... he'd die trying to find her.  
  
He heard someone coughing weakly and followed the sound to a cell door that was locked manually - so it hadn't been affected by the electrical locks that had been sprung. He quickly slid it out the way and threw it open.  
  
"Yasha!"  
  
"Mom - stop wasting time and let's go."  
  
She was about to say something to that since she hadn't been given the chance as of yet to waste time, but he literally picked her up and threw her over his shoulder to carry her out like a carpet.  
  
This time he was going to take a short cut to the exit.  
  
A left turn and then a right turn and he began to smell clean air... through those open glass doors, through that room and out the other side. He went in without a moment's hesitation.  
  
A bit of a mistake.  
  
The moment he entered the room the doors on either end of the room snapped closed automatically and he found himself trapped. The chair at the desk on the other end of the room turned and he was faced with his maker.  
  
"If I don't get out of here alive then neither will you." Naraku said evenly.  
  
Inuyasha lowered his mother to the ground who was busy glaring at Naraku to pay much attention to her son now.  
  
"Open the doors." Inuyasha demanded.  
  
"As if. I have something to tell you first. Something you're going to take to your grave and wish you had never learned." Naraku smiled slowly, creeping Inuyasha out intensely.  
  
"And that would be...?" Inuyasha shifted nervously.  
  
"Inuyasha... I am your father."  
  
His mother made a gagging sound behind him and Inuyasha glared at Naraku with a thoroughly peeved expression. "So?"  
  
Naraku's smirk vanished. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"  
  
"I already knew that, jeez..." Inuyasha sneered at him. "Everyone knows that you are the biological father of every hybrid created. Only because you think you're so fucking perfect. I'm just glad I didn't inherit my taste in clothes from you."  
  
"Thank god you got your looks from my side of the family." His mother added, from the safety behind Inuyasha.  
  
"Still." Naraku shrugged. "You're not going anywhere."  
  
"Oh yeah?"  
  
Inuyasha lunged at Naraku, ignoring the yelp his mother made of surprise and knocked the man to the floor stunning him for a moment. Inuyasha took the opportunity to grab a lamp and his mother and drag them both to the other side of the room. He kicked the doors open, pulled both the lamp and his mother through and then closed the doors carefully behind him, despite them being broken and all.  
  
By now Naraku was up from the floor and could see what Inuyasha was doing, and charged at the doors. But he was too late. Inuyasha slid the length of the tall lamp though the handles of the doors and stepped back at once as Naraku crashed into them from the other side. The doors gave a jolt, but couldn't brake open.  
  
"That won't hold." His mother warned.  
  
"I know..." Inuyasha looked around and spotted a red fire axe in a glass case against the wall. He smashed the glass quickly and added it to the barricade against the door. How an axe would ever prevent a fire of this scale had always been beyond Inuyasha...  
  
"I meant the glass doors." His mother said again.  
  
"They're bullet proof." Inuyasha said simply and looked up to look gazes with Naraku. Suddenly his face broke into a wide grin and he waved cheerfully. "Bye dad!"  
  
"I'll see you in hell, Inu!!" Naraku roared.  
  
"Whatever, let's go mom."  
  
The older woman quietly revelled in the fact that he'd adopted her as his parent so quickly and allowed him to pull her along to the exits.  
  
Naraku was left alone on the base to quietly bake in his office as it grew hotter and hotter as the flames rose through the floors...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: don't ya just love an ending like that? ^_^ Still another chapter to go though.) 


	19. Back To School

Disclaimer: as always. Who cares anymore? It's not like you people read these...  
  
(A/N: last chapter! Amazingly it's turned out to be exactly the same length as my last fic... hmmmmm... spooky, huh? Ok, but this is just a short little chapter to round everything off ^_^)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Price of Freedom  
  
Back To School  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"-And so, like, he came up to her and said, like, I ain't taking none of this crap anymore, you're on your own babe." Rinji slipped her hair over her shoulder. "And you know was she said?"  
  
"What?" Yuki was entranced.  
  
"She said... 'fine' - just like that! Fine!" Rinji threw her hands up dramatically. "Girl was crazy! If I were her I wouldn't have let a gorgeous piece of hunk like him escape."  
  
"Well Miroku does tend to flirt." Yuki reminded her. "It always pissed Sango off."  
  
"But she dumped him!"  
  
Kagome sighed as her friends prattled on beside her. "You guys know it won't last long - he'll send her a poem or something by the end of the day and she'll be begging him to come back."  
  
"Kagome!"  
  
Sango was calling her from the school steps at the entrance. Kagome excused herself and raced off the greet her best friend. "Please tell me you're in the same class?!" Sango shrilled.  
  
"2B?" Kagome asked.  
  
"Thank heavens!" Sango relaxed visibly before perking up. "Anyway - what's been new with you? Last I heard you were flashing your ugly face on my television screen at six o'clock in the morning. Nearly made me lose my breakfast."  
  
"Oh... you know... bad day, that's all..." Kagome waved her hand.  
  
"Well... we all know the truth now." Sango sighed. "I bet that agency place has been on your case for letting all those subjects get away, huh?"  
  
"Yeah..." Kagome's face fell. "They called and told me off... they said that what I'd done was incredibly stupid because they would never be accepted into society with faces like there's... it was cruel... but I think they were right in a way..."  
  
"Better to be free still, though Kagome." Sango patted her friend compassionately. "As long as they don't get caught on the streets then they'll be left alone."  
  
"But I heard on the news last night that this was going to induce a whole new form of racism." Kagome still looked miserable. "I had no idea..."  
  
"Have you heard from Inuyasha yet?" Sango asked.  
  
"No... I went round to his mother's house but the place is still abandoned... I don't know if they even got out of the institute alive... and even if they did they might have been captured by the other agency..." Kagome sighed.  
  
There was a moment's silence until Sango's expression softened. "You miss him don't you."  
  
'I love him' she'd said so as he'd left her. Had he really noticed? Did he care? Did he know what it meant?  
  
"Yeah, I miss him." Kagome admitted the understatement of the century as they started off into the school corridors.  
  
"Everyone's calling you a big freedom activist now." Sango said cheerfully, trying to change the subject. "Don't be too surprised if people start coming up to you and ask for autographs and stuff... and... what the hell is going on here?"  
  
There was a whole mob of students completely blocking the corridor ahead of them - and there seemed to be a lot of loud chattering and talking that they couldn't really hear what was going on. Had someone fallen?  
  
Kagome stood on tiptoes (being pretty small herself) trying to see what the fuss was - when she caught a flash of snow-white hair. And her heart literally stopped. Of course it started again only a second later but her chest squeezed with shock and she felt dizzy...  
  
Oh no... somehow Inuyasha had gotten into school and now he was being harassed and bullied by the other students... had he come to find her...? Kagome put her weight behind it as she pushed and slid her way through the crowd to get closer to Inuyasha who was being pulled at by several girls - and he did not look like a happy camper.  
  
"Inuyasha!" she cried when she got near enough.  
  
His head shot up at the sound of her voice and he swatted a girl's hand away that had been tugging carelessly on his ear. "Kagome!"  
  
All the heads in the mob turned on Kagome now with stunned surprise. Then all the girls' faces fell. "Oh no... he's already taken..."  
  
"What...?" Kagome didn't understand what was going on. Weren't they bullying him?  
  
A few girls drifted away but a few of the more stubborn ones stayed. "You'll call me right, Yasha-kun?"  
  
"Sure." He replied happily.  
  
"And me too - and maybe we can go see a movie together some time."  
  
"I'd never turn a movie down." He answered truthfully.  
  
The two girls drifted off with a happy sigh and the boys moved in. "You sly dog! You have got to teach us how to do that twist thing that you did in P.E-"  
  
"And you have to join the baseball club-"  
  
"And the gymnastics club-"  
  
"And the kendo-"  
  
"You might as well join the martial arts group - though you already look like a martial artist already."  
  
Inuyasha took it all in his stride. "Never learnt how to fight - I guess... it's just a skill."  
  
"Damn..." the boys looked at each other. "We have got to get ourselves into one of them institutes."  
  
Kagome's hand snapped out and she began to drag Inuyasha away, despite all the disappointed groans from behind them.  
  
"Bet you think I'm a smooth operator now don't ya?" Inuyasha asked her cockily as they headed out the entrance onto the grassy picnic area where there were lees hungry crowds ready to pounce on him.  
  
"Not really." She smiled thinly. "You say that again when you have to start juggling all those promised dates and sports clubs."  
  
"Who said I was going on a date with anyone?" he asked innocently as they sat down at a table. "I just said that I never turn down movies... and I wouldn't..."  
  
Kagome gazed at him a moment before throwing her arms around him. "I was so worried about you!"  
  
"I was ok..."  
  
"Where've you been? I went to your mom's house but it was still trashed and you weren't there." She exclaimed.  
  
"Oh yeah..." Inuyasha looked thoughtful. "Mom sued the government and got a great big grant - she just bought another house - tonnes bigger and it even has a garden..."  
  
"Wow..." Kagome looked surprised. "You're living with her?"  
  
"Yep." Then his face fell. "But she's given me a curfew and she makes me do my homework before I have my tea - and this new boyfriend that she has is just really pissing me off... he has shifty little beady eyes..."  
  
Kagome smiled. "But you're loving every minute of it."  
  
"Hell yeah." He grinned, his arm boldly encircling her waist to draw her nearer. "I'm free... I'm going to school to get an education... and you know what would be perfect...?"  
  
"What?" she asked, her face inches from his.  
  
"If I had the perfect girlfriend to make my life totally normal and boring and perfect?"  
  
Kagome smiled at him warmly. "I'm sure Yuki would be happy to-"  
  
"You're an idiot." He kissed her on the lips.  
  
"Inuyasha?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you want to date... with me...?" she raised her eyebrows at him.  
  
"Hm... well I don't know... you're a bit on the plain side..." he teased, resting his hand on the small of her back. She could remember a time when he hadn't even allowed her to touch him in the most innocent manner. He had definitely changed.  
  
"And you're a cripple with bad eye sight." She reminded him. "Plus you're not entirely human."  
  
"Does that bother you?" he asked, suddenly serious.  
  
"It doesn't bother my mother." Kagome touched his ears that flicked delicately away. She sighed and looked at him seriously. "I love you... nothing about you bothers me."  
  
He stared at her a moment before smiling. "Then I think I love you too."  
  
"I know."  
  
He frowned, partially annoyed that she seemed to have known before him. "How would you know?"  
  
"Because it's like a fairytale, isn't it?" Kagome shrugged, clasping her hands behind his neck. "I am the first girl you've ever met and ever seen... so who else would you fall in love with? It just wouldn't make sense if you fell in love with the second or third girl - it's always the first-"  
  
She was cut off as he kissed her firmly on the mouth again. She smiled and returned the gesture until he broke off. "My first and last..."  
  
And he sounded like he really meant it. Kagome just had to reward him with another kiss.  
  
They were broken apart that time by the sounds of wolf-whistles coming from Sango and Miroku as they approached, nudging and winking to each other. They obviously seemed to have made up pretty fast already.  
  
"Looks like we have a pair of love birds here." Sango crooned as she settled down opposite the quickly breaking apart couple.  
  
"You sly dog, Inuyasha... get it?" Miroku joked.  
  
Everyone just rolled their eyes at him. Sango just shook her head. "Thank god you don't write those little romantic poems yourself."  
  
The bell rang inside the school building and they started to get up and head inside. Miroku had to go because he attended the medical school in a different district and yes, he was very late for his second day of school.  
  
"What have you got first?" Kagome asked Inuyasha as they walked side by side.  
  
"History." He glanced at her. "You?"  
  
"History as well."  
  
"Perfect."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(A/N: Woohoo! And confetti falls from the ceiling!!!!! TAA-DAAA! Finally finished at last! Hope you all enjoyed it - and thanks loads to everyone who reviewed - I've read every single one at least ten times - I get that bored and sad. ^_^ THANK YOU!!!) 


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